Germany’s Angela Merkel recalls tricky dealings with world leaders from Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin during her 16-year chancellorship in her frank memoirs, published as her legacy comes under intense scrutiny.
Here are some quotes from “Freedom: Memories 1954-2021” according to extracts released in Die Zeit weekly before next week’s official publication:
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN
“Someone who was always on his guard to avoid being treated badly and always ready to dish it out, including power games with dogs and making others wait for him. You could find all this childish, reprehensible. You could shake your head at it. But it didn’t take Russia off the map.”
“He was not interested in building democratic structures or prosperity for a well-functioning economy in his country or elsewhere. Rather, he wanted to counter the fact that the United States had emerged victorious from the Cold War. He wanted Russia to remain an indispensable pole in a multipolar world after the end of the Cold War. To achieve this, he primarily drew on his experience in the security services.”
WRANGLING OVER UKRAINE AT NATO SUMMIT IN BUCHAREST, 2008:
“I thought it was an illusion to assume that the Membership Action Plan (MAP) status would have given Ukraine and Georgia protection from Putin’s aggression, that this status would have had a deterrent effect to the extent that Putin would have accepted the developments without doing anything.
“Would it have been conceivable that NATO member states would have responded militarily – with material as well as troops – and intervened? Would it have been conceivable that I, as Federal Chancellor, would have asked the German Bundestag for such a mandate for our Bundeswehr as well and would have received a majority in favour?”
“In another context, which I no longer remember in detail
he (Putin) later said to me: “You won’t be Chancellor forever. And then they’ll become a member of NATO. And I want to prevent that.” And I thought: You won’t be president forever either. Nevertheless, my worries about future tensions with Russia in Bucharest had not diminished.”
ON DONALD TRUMP
“He saw everything from the perspective of the property developer he was before entering politics. Each parcel of land could only be sold once, and if he didn’t get it someone else did. That’s how he saw the world.”
“For years, the many German cars on the streets of New York had been a thorn in his side. That Americans were buying them could, in his opinion, only be due to dumping prices and alleged exchange rate manipulation between the euro and the dollar.”
She wrote how Trump did not shake her hand for photographers at a White House meeting in 2017 even after she whispered to him that they should. “As soon as I said that, I shook my head inwardly at myself. How could I have forgotten that Trump knew exactly what effect he wanted to achieve.”
“He was obviously very fascinated by the Russian president. In the years that followed I had the impression that politicians with autocratic and dictatorial traits captivated him.
“We talked on two different levels. Trump on an emotional level, me on a factual one. For him, all countries were in competition with each other, in which the success of one was the failure of the other. He did not believe that co-operation could increase the prosperity of all.”
CHILDHOOD AND LIFE IN COMMUNIST EAST GERMANY:
“Life in the GDR was a constant life on the edge. Even if a day began in a carefree manner, everything could change in a matter of seconds if political boundaries were transgressed… the state knew no mercy. Finding out exactly where these boundaries lay was the real art of living. My somewhat conciliatory character and my pragmatic approach helped me.”
She described a sense of superiority “because, despite everything, this state did not manage to deprive me of something that made me live, feel and sense: a certain degree of carefreeness.”
On November 16, 2024, the Institute for Reintegration, Rehabilitation and Professional Development of Veterans “Architecture of Resilience” of the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture held an event “Children’s Health during War: How to Protect and Improve”. The speaker at the event was the Institute’s specialist, pediatric neurologist Denys Boychuk. The event was held as part of the support for veterans’ families and was aimed at strengthening the mental and physical health of children in modern conditions.
Since the beginning of the war, children have become one of the most vulnerable categories of society, as constant stress, change of environment and a sense of danger significantly affect their mental and physical condition. Therefore, the issue of providing comprehensive support to children and their parents is extremely important to help them overcome the challenges of the modern world.
As part of the event, parents had the opportunity to take part in a seminar where Denys Boychuk spoke about important aspects of children’s health in times of crisis, how to recognize stress disorders in children, and what approaches can be useful to support their emotional state. In addition, the expert provided advice on physical activity, sleep patterns, nutrition, and communication with children, especially in crisis situations.
While the adults were immersed in the important topics of the seminar, the children had fun and beneficial time with the specialists of the Kyiv City Employment Center engaged in career guidance. Interesting games and exercises were organized for them to help them discover the world of different professions, in particular, to get acquainted with the profession of an architect and a builder. Students in grades 8-11 were also given a career guidance test that allowed them to better understand their own interests and potential, which may make it easier to choose a future profession. In addition, children had the opportunity to learn more about the specialties offered by the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture. The Department of Environmental Protection Technologies and Labor Protection conducted a tour of its laboratories – water, earth and air.
This event was an important step in supporting veterans’ families by providing them with effective tools to keep their children healthy, as well as an opportunity for children to broaden their horizons and learn about potential professional fields. Such initiatives not only help to overcome the psychological consequences of war, but also strengthen society by contributing to the formation of a more resilient and conscious generation.
The Institute of Reintegration, Rehabilitation and Professional Development of Veterans “Architecture of Resilience” of KNUBA plans to continue organizing such events, involving leading experts and partners, to support veterans’ families in this difficult time.
Architecture of Resilience, children's health, Institute of Reintegration
There is a downward trend in prices on the carrot market in Ukraine, according to analysts of the EastFruit project. At the same time, according to the producers, the demand for carrots today remains quite low: wholesale companies make purchases as needed, preferring not to lay products for long-term storage, which negatively affects the overall price level.
For example, as of today, producers are shipping carrots at 15-23 UAH/kg ($0.36-0.56/kg), depending on the quality and volume of the offered batches of vegetables, which is on average 21% cheaper than a week earlier. The reason for the decline in prices for root vegetables, according to the project experts, is a seasonal increase in supply amid rather restrained demand for these products. In an effort to boost sales, farmers are forced to revise selling prices for carrots downward.
It is worth adding that despite the price decline, today carrots in Ukraine are on average 2.4 times more expensive than in the same period last year.
You can get more information about the development of the market of carrots and other fruit and vegetable products in Ukraine by subscribing to the operational analytical weekly – EastFruit Ukraine Weekly Pro. Detailed information about the product can be found here.
Insurance company “INGO” (Kiev) for 9 months of 2024 collected insurance premiums in the amount of UAH 2.46 billion, which is 23.5% more than in the same period last year, the company reports. It is noted that according to experts of the National Association of Insurers of Ukraine (NAU), this corresponds to the average growth rate of the insurance market of Ukraine for the reporting period, which is 23%.
The company also reports that during the reporting period there was an increase in demand for insurance products in the segment of hull insurance (+25.3%), MTPL (+35.5%), property insurance (+47%), health insurance traveling abroad (+51.3%), accident insurance (+25.7%). At the same time, both the number of clients and the volume of premiums increased in property and auto insurance.
It is also noted that receipts from individuals have increased by 35% to UAH 735 mln. At the same time, premiums in the segment of insurance of legal entities increased by 19% and amounted to UAH 1.73 billion. According to NASU data, INGO is the leader in this segment.
During the reporting period INGO paid more than UAH 1.08 bln of indemnities, which is 32% more than last year’s figures. The largest amounts were reimbursed under contracts of voluntary health insurance – more than UAH 419 mln, CASCO – UAH 328 mln, property insurance – UAH 273 mln. More than UAH 184 mln has been indemnified for losses of agricultural producers.
Reserves of the company as of November 1, 2024 have grown by 11%, reaching almost UAH 2 billion, shareholders’ equity has grown by 16%, up to UAH 1.34 billion. At the same time, highly liquid assets amount to UAH 3,02 bln, that is by 3% more than last year’s indicator.
During the reporting period IC INGO increased the amount of paid taxes to the budgets of all levels by 23% to UAH 185 mln.
Until the end of 2024 INGO expects further increase in insurance premiums due to market concentration and introduction of new technologies. Particular attention will be paid to digitalization of processes to improve customer service, the report says.
INGO Insurance Company JSC holds licenses for 18 classes of insurance and has been providing insurance services to both individuals and companies for 30 years. Its network includes 25 branches, 5 outlets and 9 customer service centers operating in all regions of the country. The company is among the largest insurance companies in Ukraine in terms of premiums, the size of its own assets and the amount of insurance claims paid. Since 2017, the main shareholder is the Ukrainian business group DCH.
State enterprise NAEK Energoatom (Kiev) on November 20 announced a tender for compulsory insurance of motor liability of owners of land vehicles (MTPL).
As reported in the Prozorro electronic public procurement system, the total expected cost is UAH 111.1 thousand.
The deadline for submitting tender documents is November 28.
On Thursday, November 21, moderate snow is expected in western regions of Ukraine at night and in some places light snow in the afternoon, reports Ukrhydrometcenter. The temperature at night 0-5 °, in the Carpathians up to 8 ° frost, in the afternoon about 0 °.
In Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Vinnitsa and Cherkassy regions, wet snow and rain, heavy precipitation in some places at night, sticking wet snow. The temperature at night and during the day is 0-3° of heat. In the rest of the area moderate, in some places heavy rains. Temperatures are 5-10° warm at night, up to 14° in Crimea, 7-12° during the day, 13-18° in the south-east of the country. In the western, most northern and Vinnitsa regions there is icy road ice on the roads.
The wind is predominantly north-westerly, at night on the Left Bank southern, 7-12 m/s. Throughout Ukraine, except for western and most northern regions, gusts of 17-22 m/s.
In Kiev at night heavy, in the afternoon moderate rain and wet snow, icy roads. The wind is north-westerly, 7-12 m/s. The temperature at night and in the daytime 0-2° of heat.
According to the Central Geophysical Observatory named after. Boris Sreznevsky, the highest temperature during the day on November 21 in Kiev was recorded in 1926 and amounted to 16.1 ° heat, the lowest at night – 15.3 ° below zero in 1890.
On Friday, November 22, at night without precipitation, only in the eastern regions and in the extreme west of the country, in the afternoon in Ukraine, except for southern and eastern regions, moderate snow, snowstorm, in the Carpathian region significant snow;
Wind south with transition to north-western, 7-12 m/s. In the southern part, in the afternoon in central and northern regions gusts of 15-20 m/s in some places.
In the west, most of the north, Vinnitsa and Cherkassy regions, roads are icy.
The temperature at night is 1-6° frost, in the south of the country about 0°. During the day in western and northern regions from 3° frost to 2° warm, in the rest of the territory 0-5° warm, in the south of the country 6-11° warm.
In the Carpathians, light snow at night and heavy snow in the afternoon. Temperatures at night 5-10°, in the afternoon 2-7° of frost.
In Kiev, no precipitation at night, snow, snowstorm, south wind, 7-12 m/s, gusts of 15-18 m/s in the afternoon. The temperature at night 3-5° of frost, during the day 0-2° of heat.
