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Merkel’s photo with Putin under the microscope Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who until recently was considered one of the most important post-war European leaders, is facing a reassessment and criticism of the policy of rapprochement with Moscow she followed during the his 16 years of government. Conservative newspaper Die Welt has criticized the “wrong” policy Merkel has pursued for nearly two decades of betting on trade contracts to encourage democracy and appease authoritarian regimes like Russia and China. The newspaper adds: “What Germany and Europe have experienced in these days is nothing more than a reversal of Merkel’s policy, which she aimed to guarantee pace and freedom through treaties with tyrants. “The newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote that Merkel” must take her share of responsibility in her willingness to establish close economic ties with Russia “because this has led to Germany’s dependence on Russian energy resources. and “we are now seeing the consequences of this fatal mistake. “For the ninth time Macron and Schulz try with Putin to stop the war The Elysée announced yesterday that French President Emmanuel Marcon and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had a new conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine, the day after the Versailles Summit. The three officials held a telephone conversation on Thursday, during which France and Germany asked “Russia for an immediate ceasefire”. Since Macron and Putin met in the Kremlin on February 7, the French president has had nine contacts with his Russian counterpart, including one on Thursday, according to the Elysée. The three European countries that are part of the Iranian nuclear deal have urged not to “exploit” the talks aimed at relaunching it, one day after being suspended after Washington’s Russian demands on the Ukrainian crisis. Iran and the major powers affiliated with the 2015 agreement (France, Great Britain, Germany, Russia and China) began to relaunch the agreement months ago in Vienna, in which the United States indirectly participates, knowing that it has unilaterally withdrawn. since the agreement in 2018. Achieve progress and reach the final stage of the negotiation. However, the European Union, which is coordinating the talks, announced on Friday the need to “take a break in light of external factors”. The three European countries stressed in a statement yesterday that “no one should try to exploit the discussions to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the official name of the nuclear agreement), to obtain guarantees unrelated to this agreement. “France, Great Britain and Germany have warned that this” threatens to lead to the collapse of the agreement, which would deprive the Iranian people of the lifting of sanctions and the international community of the necessary guarantees relating to the Iranian nuclear program. “Washington considered that the Russian requests are” out of context “in the case, as there is no link between sanctions and cooperation between Moscow and Tehran under the nuclear agreement. For his part, a European diplomat said that if Moscow does not show flexibility regarding its requests, there are “other options” possible, without revealing further details. He stressed that he did not allow “Russia to hold in The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is hostage. ”Greek sympathy for Russia is strong despite the war When Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis participated in a parliamentary debate on the Russian invasion of Ukraine this month, there was no doubt about which side his government would take in war while announcing aid to Ukraine. “There are no equal distances,” she told the deputies. Or are you in favor of pace and international law, or contrary “, after announcing the dispatch of a shipment of medicines and military equipment in Ukraine. “We have always been on the right side of history and now we are doing the same,” she added. But for many Greeks, after decades of existential, religious and cultural ties, the choice is not obvious. “Greek public opinion has a dimension of solidarity with Russia, friendly sentiments linked to a common history and culture based on Orthodoxy, and some have a distrust of the West,” says Nikos Marintzidis, professor of studies for the Balkans and Eastern Europe at the University of Macedonia. An opinion poll conducted after the February invasion showed that 20% of Greeks were “closer” to Russia, while 45% expressed support for Ukraine. Only 8% supported the boycott of Russian goods, while only 2% said they would avoid contact with Russia. 75% of respondents condemned the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but 60% criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to a survey by the Kappa Research Center. Russians represent an important demographic group for the Greek tourism sector, with hundreds of thousands of Russians visiting the country every year. “God protect President Putin and all the Russians who are fighting for freedom,” Theresa Sackl said. Croatia regrets the bad reaction! Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Saturday expressed regret over the poor reaction in NATO airspace after a military drone was shot down in Zagreb and called for “enhanced cooperation” within the alliance. “It is clear that the reaction was not good, neither the assessment of the level of danger, nor the communication with other countries in quickly . This is an accident that shouldn’t happen again, “said the Croatian premier while visiting the crash site of the drone.” It’s a test which should allow all of us to learn a lot and respond better, “he added. Russia could target Western arms supplies to Ukraine Russia announced yesterday that its forces could target Western arms supplies to Ukraine. Ukraine as the Russian military has been advancing since the end of February. “We have warned the United States that the organized injection of weapons from a number of countries is not only a dangerous step, it is a step that makes these convoys legitimate targets.” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told state television. He added that Moscow had warned “of the consequences of the reckless transfer of weapons to Ukraine, such as portable air defense systems, anti-tank missile systems and others.”