Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned European Union leaders of nuclear threats made by Vladimir Putin in his dramatic speech announcing a further escalation of the conflict.
Merkel, in particular, called on the international community to take Putin's words seriously and not consider them a bluff, which focused on the need to protect Ukraine's territorial sovereignty, as well as on coordinated actions.
Speaking on Tuesday, at the opening of the "Helmut Kohl Foundation" ("Bundeskanzler-Helmut-Kohl-Stiftung"), Merkel referred, among other things, to the war launched by Russia in Ukraine, but also to the strong man of the Kremlin.
"His words should be taken seriously ," said the former chancellor, adding: "Taking the words seriously and not dismissing them as a bluff in the first place is not at all a sign of weakness or appeasement, but a demonstration of political intelligence. " which " contributes to maintaining a margin of maneuver or, at least, something equally important, to the creation of a new one".
Merkel referred to the former German chancellor and her mentor, Helmut Kohl, as a politician who possessed this political acuity: " Kohl would do everything today to protect and restore the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine, but at the same time he would had in mind how relations with Russia can be revived in the future, not by Germany's unilateral moves, but always in agreement with all partners in the EU and NATO".