According to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, her government could have reacted more quickly to Russian aggression, in particular by increasing defense spending to the level required by NATO.

 She expressed this opinion in an interview with Die Zeit.

 "Indeed, when Putin invaded Crimea in 2014, he was expelled from the G8. NATO also deployed troops in the Baltic States to show that we, as NATO, are ready to defend ourselves. In addition, the Alliance decided to spend on defense 2% of GDP," Merkel said.

 "But we also had to react more quickly to Russia's aggressiveness. Germany, despite the growth (of defense spending), did not reach the two percent indicator. And even I did not make fiery speeches in its defense every day," she added.

 According to the ex-chancellor of Germany, NATO's dual approach of combining rearmament and diplomacy was sensible.

 "As for the figure of 2% (defense spending), it means that we have not done enough to deter (Russia) due to the increase in defense spending," she stated.

 In June, Merkel predicted that her resignation as head of government could influence Putin's decision to launch a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. She also later said she did not have enough influence over Putin before the invasion.