Overview

• Against the backdrop of Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and Tehran’s retaliation, Merkel affirmed that Israel must be able to defend itself when its existence is threatened.
• She voiced doubts about whether retaliatory measures driven by existential threats can fully comply with international law’s constraints.
• Merkel condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an evident breach of international law and noted that Ukraine never posed a threat before being attacked.
• She criticized the CDU for supporting a Bundestag migration motion that relied on AfD votes, warning that such alliances undermine political integrity.
• Speaking in her first major post-memoir interview, the former chancellor underscored her ongoing engagement in shaping foreign and domestic policy debates since leaving office.