Merkel also rejected recent criticisms of her by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenski, who called the decision a miscalculation, according to the SWR TV station.

Zelenski said that the agreement between France and Germany during the NATO Summit in Bucharest in 2008 to not admit Ukraine in the alliance was wrong, despite the vote in favor of the United States.

In a brief statement issued by her spokesperson, Merkel said that she maintains the relevance of her decisions regarding to what was agreed at the Bucharest meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Germany and France considered at the time THAT it was too early in 2008 for Ukraine, a former Soviet Republic neighboring Russia, to join NATO, and that the political conditions were not right for it.

Merkel, who retired from politics last year after four terms in office, has been criticized for her policy of détente vis-à-vis the Kremlin and Germany’s growing dependence on Russian gas imports during her years in power.

jg/arm/jcm/gfa