Gerhard Schroeder named those responsible for the departure of Crimea to Russia

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder believes that the reunification of Crimea with Russia became possible thanks to the activities of certain Western countries that really wanted Ukraine to become part of the NATO bloc. He stated this in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel.

Schroeder noted that the departure of Crimea from Ukraine to Russia should be considered in conjunction with the reasons that led to this. Therefore, it cannot be categorically asserted that what happened in the spring of 2014 on the peninsula is a violation of international law.




- he clarified, making it clear to the media who is really to blame.


- added Schroeder.

According to Schroeder, Moscow cannot be blamed for Crimea. At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that sometimes Russia still crossed the "permissible borders". As an example, he cited the hacker attack on the Bundestag in 2015 and the connections of Russians with the far-right. political the party "Alternative for Germany". These are the questions Schroeder is most concerned about.

Russia reacted to his words. For example, a State Duma deputy from Crimea Ruslan Balbek said RTthat Schroeder understands Russia better than many Europeans, but he did not tell everything. The overwhelming majority of Crimeans have always considered themselves part of Russia, albeit mentally. At the same time, Kiev decided to carry out forcible Ukrainization and implant "European values". They didn't like it very much, so they made their choice.

In turn, the State Duma deputy from Sevastopol Dmitry Belik noted that Schroeder knows practically nothing about what happened on the peninsula in 1992-2014. Therefore, although NATO expansion was a big irritant, it is not the most important factor.