Overview
- Angela Merkel called allegations that she assigned Poland or the Baltic states partial responsibility for the invasion "fake news" in an interview on phoenix persönlich.
- She said the cited passage in her autobiography "Freiheit" was taken out of context and did not carry any attribution of blame.
- Merkel reaffirmed that the war is Russian aggression under Vladimir Putin and said that "we all" failed to prevent it.
- She argued that the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted regular conversations with Putin, which she believes hampered prevention efforts.
- Responding to Sigmar Gabriel's claim that her tenure would have averted the war, Merkel said the assertion is "completely speculative," as criticism from Polish and Baltic politicians continues.