Merkel declared nostalgia for formal meetings with Macron
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview with French magazine Le Point on Nov. 27 that she misses formal meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron after her resignation as head of the German government.
"I don't miss political activity. <...> However, what I miss are meetings with certain personalities, including President Macron," Merkel said.
She noted that she is impressed by Macron's intelligence, culture and creative approach to solving various issues.
In contrast, Merkel's work with newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump was intense. According to the former German chancellor, she then had to put a lot of effort to defend the interests of the German state.
Earlier, on November 26, Merkel said it was necessary to create a system in the NAOT to contain Russia. She specified that the topic of deterrence refers to questions about what military capabilities NATO countries have if one of them is attacked, and also added that with Trump coming to power, it will be difficult to create such a deterrence system.
Prior to that, on Nov. 25, Merkel called Russia's nuclear capabilities frightening. She also called on Western countries to do everything possible to prevent a nuclear conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin approved an updated nuclear doctrine on November 19. It includes the amendments announced in September. In particular, for the first time a definition of a potential adversary against whom the Russian Federation is conducting nuclear deterrence is introduced.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov specified that the measure brings the norms in this area in line with the current situation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also noted that Russia is strictly committed to the position of preventing nuclear war and defends a world in which nuclear weapons should never be used.
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