The US has agreed to complete the completion of Nord Stream 2, a controversial natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany that has weakened Ukraine’s hand in its standoff with Vladimir Putin. In return, Merkel promised to fund green energy infrastructure in Ukraine and push for sanctions on Russia if it dared to use natural gas as a “weapon” to bully Kyiv. Months later he was removed from office with the kind of approval ratings usually associated with a subtropical dictatorship. Asked to rate her 16 years in office, 80 percent of voters said they had been good. As late as the beginning
