ウクライナのＮＡＴＯ早期加盟、阻止は妥当だった　メルケル前独首相

【ＡＦＰ＝時事】ドイツのアンゲラ・メルケル前首相は４日、２００８年の北大西洋条約機構（ＮＡＴＯ）首脳会議でウクライナの早期加盟を阻止した自身の判断について、妥当だったと擁護した。（写真はドイツのアンゲラ・メルケル首相（当時、左）とロシアのウラジーミル・プーチン大統領。トルコ・イスタンブールで）
　ＮＡＴＯは２００８年、ルーマニアの首都ブカレストで開いた首脳会議で、ウクライナなどの早期加盟問題について協議したが、独仏両国を中心に反対論が優勢となり、合意できなかった。
　ウクライナのウォロディミル・ゼレンスキー大統領は当時の独仏の姿勢について「判断ミス」だったと批判。ロシア軍が民間人を虐殺したとされる首都キーウ郊外のブチャの名を挙げ、「メルケル氏とサルコジ氏（２００８年当時の仏大統領）をブチャに招待する。１４年にわたる対ロシア譲歩政策の結果を見てほしい」と語った。
　メルケル氏の報道担当者はこれについて短い声明を出し、「２００８年のＮＡＴＯ首脳会議における自身の判断を現在も支持している」とした。
　ドイツは当時、ウクライナの早期のＮＡＴＯ加盟について、政治条件が達成されておらず、時期尚早とみていた。
　昨年退任したメルケル氏は、かつて自由主義陣営のリーダーと称賛されていた。しかし、ロシアのウクライナ侵攻を受け、対ロシア融和政策によってドイツと欧州を脆弱（ぜいじゃく）化させたとの批判も出ている。
　特に、ドイツがエネルギーをロシアに大きく依存していることが問題となっている。天然ガスの輸入全体に占めるロシア産の割合は２０１４年には３６％だったが、今年２月のウクライナ侵攻時には５５％に上っていた。
　米国をはじめとする同盟国はロシア産エネルギーの全面的な輸入禁止を求めているが、ドイツはロシア産への依存度が高く、慎重姿勢を貫いている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/04/06-09:18）

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday defended her 2008 decision to block Ukraine from immediately joining NATO, rejecting President Volodymyr Zelensky's criticism as Russia's invasion clouds her 16-year legacy.
Zelensky in a night-late address had described as a miscalculation a Franco-German-led decision at the NATO summit in Bucharest to not admit his country to the alliance despite a push from the United States.
I invite Ms Merkel and Mr (Nicolas) Sarkozy to visit Bucha and see what the policy of concessions to Russia has led to in 14 years, he said, referring to the alleged atrocities against Ukrainian civilians by Russian troops that world powers have described as war crimes.
The Ukrainian president also accused the European leaders of seeking to appease Russia with their stance then.
But Merkel in a short statement issued by her spokeswoman said she stands by her decisions in relation to the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest.
In view of the atrocities uncovered in Bucha and other places in Ukraine, all efforts by the government and the international community to stand by Ukraine's side and to bring an end to Russia's barbarism and war against Ukraine have the former chancellor's full support, added the spokeswoman.
Germany had deemed it too early for Ukraine to join NATO in 2008 because it found that the political conditions were not met at that point.
Merkel, who retired from politics late last year after four consecutive terms in power, had once been hailed as the leader of the free world.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine has exposed flaws in her legacy, with critics saying she left Germany and Europe vulnerable with her detente policy towards the Kremlin leader.
- 'Mistake' -
Under particular scrutiny is Germany's reliance on Russian energy, which made up 36 percent of its gas imports in 2014 but which rose to 55 percent by the time of the February 24 invasion.
The dependence on Russian power has left Berlin saying it is unable to follow a call by the US and other allies to impose a full energy embargo on Moscow.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who served as foreign minister in two of Merkel's cabinets, on Monday admitted that he made a mistake in pushing for Nord Stream 2, the controversial pipeline built to double Russian gas imports to Germany.
My adherence to Nord Stream 2 was clearly a mistake. We were holding on to bridges that Russia no longer believed in and from which our partners had warned us about, he said, according to German media reports.
The United States and EU members like Poland had deeply opposed the 10-billion-euro ($12 billion) pipeline which bypasses Ukraine, depriving Kyiv of gas transit fees.
After obstinately defending it through its construction, Germany finally put the project on ice following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Like Merkel, Steinmeier has come under fire over the pipeline project. His Social Democrats in particular have over the years pushed for closer ties with Russia.
Merkel's predecessor Gerhard Schroeder, a Social Democrat, has refused to quit key posts at Russian energy giants Rosneft and Gazprom despite Putin's war on Ukraine.
Admitting his miscalculation, Steinmeier said his assessment was that Vladimir Putin would not accept the compete economic, political and moral ruin of his country for his imperial madness.
Like others, I was wrong.