President Zelensky Alludes To 2008 Decision When Discussing Bucha Massacre, Angela Merkel Defends His Choice

President Volodymyr Zelensky bersama Angela Merkel. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru/Press Service of the President of the Russian Federation)

JAKARTA - Former German chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday defended her 2008 decision to block Ukraine from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) immediately.

Angela Merkel has rejected criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, because the Russian invasion clouded her 16-year legacy.

President Zelenskyy described the decision at the NATO summit chaired by France and Germany in Bucharest, Romania that year as a "miscalculation", not recognizing Ukraine into the alliance immediately, despite encouragement from the United States.

"I invite Merkel and (Nicolas) Sarkozy to visit Bucha, and see what the concession policy to Russia will look like in 14 years," he said.

He was referring to alleged atrocities against Ukrainian civilians by Russian forces, which world powers have described as "war crimes".

President Zelenskyy accused European leaders of trying to appease Russia with their stance that year.

However, Angela Merkel's spokeswoman said she "supports her decision with respect to the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest".

"In light of the atrocities that were unfolded in Bucha and elsewhere in Ukraine, all efforts by the government and the international community to stand by Ukraine's side and to end Russia's barbarism and war against Ukraine have the full support of the former chancellor," the spokesman said. reports The National News April 5th.

Germany itself considered it too early for Ukraine to join NATO, finding that Ukraine's political conditions were not being met at the time.

Angela Merkel, who retired from politics late last year after four successive terms in power, was once hailed as the leader of the free world. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine exposed its 'legacy' shortcomings in Europe, with critics saying it left Germany and Europe vulnerable to its policy of detente against the Kremlin Leader.

Under particular scrutiny is Germany's dependence on Russian energy, which made up 36 percent of its gas imports in 2014, and rose to 55 percent by the time of the February 24 invasion.

Reliance on Russian power has led Berlin to say it cannot follow calls by the US and other allies to impose a full energy embargo on Moscow.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is secretary of state in Chancellor Merkel's two cabinets, admitted Monday that he made a 'mistake' in pushing for Nord Stream 2, a controversial pipeline built to double Russia's gas imports to Germany.

"My adherence to Nord Stream 2 was clearly a mistake," Steinmeier told German media.

"We are holding on to a bridge that Russia no longer trusts and from which our partners have warned us."

After vigorously defending it through its construction, Germany finally stopped the project after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.