Angela Merkel Defends 2008 Decision to Block Ukraine’s NATO Membership and Strengthen Ties with Russia”

Mrs. Merkel was engaged in various diplomatic efforts that ultimately did not lead to a lasting peace. Courtesy image.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended her decisions during her tenure, particularly the gas deals with Russia and her stance on Ukraine’s NATO membership.

Speaking in an interview, Merkel explained that the gas agreements with Russia were aimed at ensuring stability for German businesses and maintaining peaceful relations with Moscow.

Merkel, who led Germany for 16 years, also addressed her controversial decision to block Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership in 2008. She argued that her decision was intended to prevent an escalation of tensions with Russia. According to Merkel, had Ukraine been allowed to begin the NATO accession process at that time, the conflict in Ukraine would have started much earlier and potentially in a far more destructive form.

“We would have seen military conflict even earlier. It was completely clear to me that President Putin would not have stood idly by and watched Ukraine join NATO,” Merkel said. She further added that Ukraine in 2008 was not as prepared for such a move as it would be in 2022, when Russia’s full-scale invasion occurred.

However, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has a different view on the matter. He believes that Merkel’s decision to block Ukraine’s NATO membership, which was supported by then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy, was a significant “miscalculation” that ultimately emboldened Russia. Zelensky has consistently argued that had Ukraine been granted NATO membership earlier, Russia might have been deterred from its aggressive actions.

Merkel’s comments provide a defense of her policies during her time in office, which also included navigating Germany through several crises, such as the global financial crisis, the 2015 migrant crisis, and Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Critics, however, continue to question whether she was too accommodating toward Moscow and too slow in offering support to Kyiv as tensions with Russia escalated.

As the war in Ukraine continues, Merkel’s decisions remain a point of debate, with both supporters and critics offering contrasting views on whether her actions contributed to or delayed the current conflict.

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