LONDON, November 25. /TASS/. The decision not to grant NATO membership to Ukraine at the bloc’s summit in 2008 was the right one because it could have pushed Russia to take military action, the former German Chancellor said.

"We would have seen military conflict even earlier. It was completely clear to me that President Putin would not have stood idly by and watched Ukraine join NATO. And back then, Ukraine as a country would certainly not have been as prepared as it was in February 2022," Angela Merkel pointed out in an interview with the BBC.

As for the current stage of the conflict in Ukraine, the ex-German chancellor emphasized the need to prevent the use of nuclear weapons. "Thankfully, China also spoke about this a while back. We shouldn't be paralyzed by fear, but we must also acknowledge that Russia is the biggest, or alongside the US, one of the two biggest nuclear powers in the world," she stressed.

Merkel also said that while in office, she sought cooperation with Russia, including in the energy sector, because it was in line with Germany’s national interests. She expressed regret that Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine had led to a chill in Europe’s relations with Moscow.

When speaking about US President-elect Donald Trump, Merkel noted that it was important for Western leaders "to present them clearly and not to be scared, because Donald Trump can be very outspoken." "He expresses himself very clearly. And if you do that, there is a certain mutual respect. That was my experience anyway," she noted. The former chancellor added that the world leaders she knew well continued to call her for advice. However, asked if she missed politics, her answer was "no."

In response to a question about the rising popularity of the Alternative for Germany party, the former German chancellor stated that the only way to combat far-right political forces was to stop illegal migration. Merkel added that European nations should invest more in African countries in order to improve living standards there and reduce migrant flows to the European Union.