Angela Merkel defended her approach to Ukraine and Russia during her 16 years as Germany's leader, saying Tuesday that a much criticized 2015 peace deal for eastern Ukraine bought Kyiv precious time and she won't apologize for her diplomatic efforts.
In her first substantial comments since leaving office six months ago, Merkel said there was “no excuse” for Russia's “brutal” attack on Ukraine and it was “a big mistake on Russia's part.”
