Germany's former chancellor Angela Merkel gives a spirited defence of her 16 years at the helm of Europe's top economy in her memoir "Freedom", released in 30 languages on Tuesday.

Since she stepped down in 2021, Merkel has been accused of having been too soft on Russia, leaving Germany dangerously reliant on cheap Russian gas, and sparking turmoil and the rise of the far right with her open-door migrant policy.

Her autobiography is released as wars rage in Ukraine and the Middle East, Donald Trump is heading back to the White House and Germany, stuck in economic malaise, faces early elections after its ruling coalition collapsed this month.

After years out of the public eye, she has given multiple media interviews, reflecting on her childhood under East German Communism, and tense encounters with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump, who she felt "was captivated by politicians with autocratic and dictatorial traits".

In the full memoir, she gives further insights into her thoughts and actions -- including during the 2015 mass refugee influx, which came to define the final years of her leadership.

Critics have charged that Merkel's refusal to turn back large numbers of........

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