The German ex-chancellor was once lauded as a commanding presence on the world stage. Her appeasement of China and Russia may prove the greatest mistake of her 16 years in power
A year ago this week, Angela Merkel flew home from Washington with what she regarded as a diplomatic triumph to crown her chancellorship.
The US had agreed to wave through the completion of Nord Stream 2, a controversial natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany that weakened Ukraine’s hand in its stand-off with Vladimir Putin.
In return, Merkel promised to fund green energy infrastructure in Ukraine and push for sanctions on Russia if it dared to use gas as a “weapon” to bully Kyiv.
