Few world leaders have left office as lauded as Angela Merkel. When she stepped down as chancellor in 2021, after 16 years, Germany’s economy was the envy of Europe. Mrs Merkel had saved the euro and guided her nation through the pandemic.

The former German chancellor talks about Ukraine, Putin’s nuclear threat - and how she handled Trump.

Angela Merkel has set out to secure her reputation in a 700-page memoir in which the former German chancellor defends her 16 years in office. Critics increasingly believe that her leadership led Germany to chronic underinvestment, an underfunded military, and the growth of the far right.

Few politicians have been more lauded during their careers and more excoriated in retirement than Angela Merkel. The former German chancellor who held the post longer than anyone except Bismarck and Helmut Kohl was seen as the towering European politician of her time before stepping down in 2021.

In her memoir, the former German chancellor reflects on her political rise and defends her record as the outlook for her country turns grim.