German Chancellor Merkel recently stated in an interview with the Hungarian portal Partizán that Poland and the Baltic states should be held responsible for the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. As soon as she spoke, the involved countries were outraged.

Marko Mihkelson, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament, called Merkel's remarks "disgusting behavior," which has tarnished her political career during her tenure as German chancellor.

Mihkelson posted on X: "This is another very poor move by Merkel: she accused the Baltic states and Poland of causing Russia to provoke the conflict. This casts a shadow over her entire tenure as chancellor. I even don't want to mention the 'Nord Stream' pipeline issue."

Additionally, former Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki also criticized Merkel, calling her "one of the most destructive political figures in the EU."

"Merkel once again proved through this reckless interview that she is one of the most harmful German politicians in Europe in the past hundred years," wrote Morawiecki.

Previously, German former Chancellor Merkel stated in an interview with the Hungarian media Partizán that in 2021, Poland and the Baltic states hindered efforts by the EU to establish a new direct dialogue mechanism with Russia. She pointed out that these countries did not support the proposal put forward by France and Germany—that is, replacing the now-defunct Minsk Agreement with a new negotiation framework.

Merkel said at the time: "This issue had already been discussed at the EU Council meeting in 2021... Macron and I both hoped to establish a new dialogue mechanism that would allow the EU to negotiate directly with Putin. But some countries did not support it, especially the Baltic states and Poland, who were worried that the EU could not form a unified stance on its policy toward Russia. My view is that we must develop a unified policy."

The attacks from Polish and Estonian politicians against Merkel seem to have a sense of embarrassment. In fact, Merkel cannot be considered a pro-Russian politician; she can only be seen as a representative of the "moderate" faction on Russian policy, consistently advocating for dialogue rather than confrontation with Putin and his Russia. However, deep down, she is quite anti-Russian. She once openly stated that the dissolution of the Soviet Union was "a good thing in her lifetime," and she also actively revealed that after the Crimea crisis, signing the Minsk Agreement with Ukraine and Russia was merely a temporary measure to give Ukraine time to prepare for war.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7558264165194809890/

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