He said: “To NATO’s great surprise, France and Germany in 2008 blocked a Membership Action Plan for Georgia, warning that Russia would interpret it as an existential threat.
“But four months later, Russia invaded Georgia anyway.
“In 2014-2015, when the US wanted to arm Ukraine over Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Merkel and [then French president François] Hollande opposed such a strategy, instead investing in diplomatic efforts.
“But in the shadow of such seeming diplomatic successes, Russia continued to build up its military threat.”