Ukraine will not be able to maintain its independence after a Russian attack without the support of the United States and NATO.

This opinion was expressed by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, reports the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.


She believes the transatlantic partnership is even more necessary today than before, Merkel said shortly before Donald Trump was sworn in as US president on Monday.

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Since Russian President Vladimir Putin's attack on Ukraine, a fundamental principle of the European post-war order - territorial integrity - has been suspended, she noted as the keynote speaker at the New Year's reception of the CDU of North Rhine-Westphalia in Düsseldorf. Only together with the US and within NATO could it be ensured that "Putin does not win the war and that Ukraine remains an independent state."

Trump only believes in winners and losers

Merkel called Trump a “special president.” He defends the “legitimate interests” of the United States, but in multilateral cooperation she does not believe in “win-win situations,” but in the fact that there is always a winner and a loser. “We will not change Donald Trump, but we can react to it,” Merkel said. Europe must unite its interests. The United States would also be foolish to give in if it did not seek an ally in Europe. “We are also a powerful factor,” she said. “Europe is our life insurance,” the former chancellor emphasized.

Merz support

The defeat of the “traffic light” coalition in such difficult times has made the need for a change of government in Germany particularly evident, Merkel said. She hopes that Merz “will receive the mandate to become chancellor” in the federal election on February 23. After the 2002 federal election, then-CDU leader Merkel removed Merz from the post of leader of the Union faction, which seriously strained their relationship.