Angela Merkel blocked Ukraine entering NATO in 2008. She thought she had a special relationship with Putin, which is also why she shut nuclear plants, believing in cheap Russian gas.
Angela Merkel had such a special relationship with Putin that she lied to the Russians for over 8 years over the Minsk accords. This has been openly admitted. It is the Net Zero and idiotic non-energy policies of the Western economies that are to blame for their crashing economies. That and sanctioning their most reliable provider of cheap energy. German economic woes are nothing to do with Putin or Russia.
What is wrong with "the belief in cheap Russian gas"? Germany now are facing massive inflation, soaring energy costs, industries leaving because of the high energy prices making them uncompetitive. This is because they no longer have access to "cheap Russian gas" because they refuse to buy it because of their own self defeating sanctions. Their supposed government seem uninterested in which so-called ally blew up their infrastructure, making sure that "cheap Russian gas" couldn't become available should Germany see the light and "make nice" with Russia.
The "cheap Russian gas" is now making its way to more reliable countries. This is all of Germany's own doing, albeit doing the bidding of their US masters.
