She guesses. In her memoirs, Angela Merkel, who spent 16 years at the helm of Europe’s largest economy, defends her decisions and, in particular, her refusal in 2008 to welcome Ukraine into NATO.
She describes a man “always ready to inflict punishment.”
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, launched a few months after her departure, the former chancellor has been accused of complacency towards the Russian president.
After the Bucha massacre, Volodymyr Zelensky invited Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy – who had also opposed membership – to visit the city to see the impact of “14 years of concessions to Russia”.
During his years in power, Germany and its large energy-intensive industries became dependent on Moscow. The country has built two gas pipelines directly connected to Russia, but Angela Merkel defends herself. At the time he had two priorities in mind: Germany’s business interests and maintaining peaceful relations with the Kremlin.
Trump “fascinated” by autocrats
Donald Trump in his book. And we feel that it is no longer subject to a duty of reserve. The portrait is not flattering. It describes a man “fascinated” by autocrats, who acted “emotionally” and who approached everything like the real estate developer he was.
She remembers their interactions and, in particular, their first meeting in 2017 at the White House. A meeting described as shameful at the time by The New York Times. Donald Trump then stubbornly refused to shake the chancellor’s hand again, despite the photographers’ insistence. Regarding their discussions, she remembers:
“It seemed like his main goal was to make the other person feel guilty, and at the same time he was under the impression that he also wanted the other person to like him,” she says.
For four years, their relationships were strained, sometimes even stormy. “For him, all countries competed. He did not believe that everyone’s prosperity could be increased through cooperation.”
It should be noted that he reveals that he wanted “with all his heart” a victory for Kamala Harris.
Confessions to the Pope
Another revelation: relations with Trump were so difficult that he even appealed to the Pope. Shortly after their meeting, Trump informed her of his intention to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. It was there that he asked Pope Francis for advice.
“Without naming names, I asked him how he would handle fundamentally opposing opinions within a group of important people,” he explains. The sovereign pontiff’s response: “fold, fold, fold, but make sure it does not break.”
Angela Merkel, who today has some advice to give European leaders on how to manage their relations with Donald Trump.
The former chancellor says that these days he is receiving calls from leaders around the world asking him for advice. When asked if she misses power and politics, she answers without delay: “no, not at all.”
Source: BFM TV
