Merkel links COVID-19 to Russia's decision to attack Ukraine

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel has said that the COVID-19 pandemic affected Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine.

Merkel suggested that the pandemic hindered direct talks with Putin, making it harder to reach compromises over Ukraine.

She said in an interview with the Hungarian project Partizan, as cited by German tabloid Bild that she could not meet Putin in person because he feared the coronavirus and that video conferences were insufficient.

"If you cannot meet, if you cannot discuss your differences face-to-face, you will not find new compromises," Merkel said. 

Merkel described the coronavirus as the main reason why Russia became politically radicalised and ultimately attacked Ukraine.

She also said that Poland and the Baltic states blocked direct contacts between the EU and Russia, which ultimately contributed to the events leading to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Merkel said earlier that she felt frustrated at being cast as the "scapegoat" for the war in Ukraine.