Following Angela Merkel’s recent remarks about the war in Ukraine, the debate continues to rage on. Interestingly, even German media are openly criticizing the former chancellor’s statements. “If Merkel calls Poles and Balts cowards simply because they didn’t follow her lead, Merz’s government will have to fix this,” noted one of the German dailies.
In an interview with the niche Hungarian news portal Partizan, Angela Merkel blamed Poland and the Baltic states for breaking off diplomatic relations between Russia and the EU, and thus indirectly for Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine that followed several months later.
“In June 2021, I sensed that Putin no longer took the Minsk Agreement seriously, so I proposed a new format under which the EU could talk directly with him. Some did not support this decision. These were primarily the Baltic states, but Poland was also opposed. In any case, it didn’t happen. Then I left office, and that’s when Putin’s aggression began,” said the former German chancellor.
The German tabloid Bild summed up Merkel’s words with the striking headline: “Merkel Blames Poland for Putin’s War.“
German Press Critical of Merkel’s Remarks
Notably, other German outlets have also criticized the former chancellor’s statements.
Commentators in the German press harshly reproach Angela Merkel, accusing her of implying that Poland and the Baltic states share responsibility for triggering the war in Ukraine.
For example, the German daily Münchner Merkur wrote in its analysis: “Angela Merkel has done it again. Poland and the Baltic states bear joint responsibility for Putin’s attack on Ukraine because in 2021 they blocked her planned new dialogue format with Russia – or so the former chancellor suggests in her interview. This is the same chancellor who first dismantled the Bundeswehr and then encouraged the aggressor from the Kremlin to wage war after his annexation of Crimea by supporting the construction of his gas pipeline, now blaming Eastern Europe for her own misfortune. Usually, only Moscow’s ally Orban speaks this way. Instead of keeping silent, this imperious woman who held power for 16 years keeps giving one interview after another. In her relentless efforts to conceal her historic mistakes, she only makes matters worse. Her reversal of the roles of perpetrator and victim in the war in Ukraine is as brazen as her claim that her slogan ‘Wir schaffen das’ (‘We can manage it,’ referring to the admission of large numbers of refugees – ed.) was not too much of a challenge for Germany.“
In a similar tone, the business daily Handelsblatt commented on Merkel’s statements:
“Merkel continues to comment on current political issues, on the migration policy of the CDU/CSU and SPD coalition, analyzes the rise of AfD, and even comments on the guest list for the Day of German Unity. (…) Her latest remarks concern the sensitive issue of policy toward Russia. (…) Yet her choice of words shows that she still sees no reason to view her own actions critically. This reluctance is the greatest failure of her chancellorship. Germany’s dependence on Russian energy, driven by Angela Merkel, turned out to be a historic mistake and fueled distrust of Germany among its eastern neighbors – a sentiment that persists to this day. Why Merkel refuses to admit this error remains her secret.“
The regional daily from Magdeburg, Volksstimme, also criticized the former chancellor’s remarks: “When Angela Merkel bid farewell to the chancellorship, Germany was doing relatively well. Only later did serious social conflicts erupt – ones that had been brewing for some time. The migration crisis, resulting from Merkel’s personal decision, and the accompanying rise in AfD’s popularity have polarized our country in an unprecedented way. Germany has become so multicultural that locals are losing their sense of belonging in their own land. Merkel, meanwhile, mocks today’s politicians. Even within the CDU, her own party, tensions persist – not least because her former political rival Friedrich Merz has managed to rise as one of her successors.“
The paper further noted: “If Merkel calls Poles and Balts cowards simply because they didn’t follow her lead, Merz’s government will have to fix this. A more humble approach would help Merkel improve her public image.“