Merkel and putin are looking for a common line, europe, dw

Chancellor Merkel traveled to Moscow with Foreign Minister Maas for a meeting with President Putin. The meeting is of great importance given the tense situation in the Middle East.

The German Chancellor’s visit could hardly take place at a more dramatic time. This week alone, the United States and Iran attacked each other on Iraqi territory, Iran left the nuclear deal and sent Turkey soldiers to Libya – reason enough for Russian President Vladimir Putin to invite Chancellor Angela Merkel to the Kremlin. At the top of the list of topics the two want to discuss is the conflict between Iran and the United States, but Libya, Syria and Ukraine are also treated, according to spokesmen.

Huge crowds in Tehran mourned General Soleimani on Monday

Even if Germany and Russia traditionally have close trade relations and Merkel was a particularly frequent guest in Moscow among the western heads of government, the Russian approach to the Ukraine crisis and, above all, the annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula have had a heavy impact on relations to date. However, political scientist Alexander Baunow from the Moscow Carnegie Center believes Ukraine is "not so toxic anymore" for the Russian-German relationship as it used to be. Signs of a political thaw are recent advances in resolving the Ukraine conflict under new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj.

United by Trump

The Ukraine crisis may have driven Merkel and Putin apart "unilateral and unpredictable US actions", Baunow told Deutsche Welle that they would have brought them together. These include the Moscow political scientist, the American sanctions against the German-Russian gas pipeline project Nord Stream 2 and President Donald Trump’s controversial decision to have the Iranian general Kassem Soleimani killed.

With Russian intervention in Syria, government troops regained the upper hand

The Russian Foreign Ministry called the killing "ruthless", German Foreign Ministry spokesman Rainer Breul said: "We currently do not have any information that would allow us to understand the US’s international justification for the attack." This wording, which was closed diplomatically, was a clear distancing.

conflict Resolution

Russian observers point out that after the Iranian general was killed, Merkel and Putin had the common goal of preventing further escalation in the region. The Russian Middle East expert Andrej Ontikow believes: "Russia wants to ensure that events in the Middle East have no further, bloodier consequences." Ontikow believes Germany and other European countries could contribute to de-escalation, hence "Russia must of course coordinate its policies with others, including Europe".

While Putin could try to use his meeting with Merkel as a sign of a united front with Germany and Russia as mediators, Berlin is considering how to use Putin’s influence in the Middle East. The Russian influence there has been since 2015 grown, when Russia intervened directly in the war. The Russian military, along with Iran, supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. This is considered a guarantee of continued Russian influence in the region. Putin also coordinated closely with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Syria policy.

Shortly before his planned meeting with Merkel, Putin discussed with Syria’s President Assad (2nd from right)

The Greens foreign politician Omid Nouripour told Deutsche Welle: "Putin pretends to have influence. Then I hope that the Chancellor will push him too, that he will convince the Iranians that they are not retaliatory."

The Kremlin keeps trying to get Germany and the rest of the EU on its side, while making the United States an unreliable partner, especially since Trump quit the Iran nuclear deal last year. Since then, both Germany and Russia have been trying to save the deal, even after Iran left on Sunday.

Berlin peace negotiations

Moscow and Berlin are also pushing for an end to the conflict in Libya. The fighting for the cities of Tripoli and Sirte has intensified recently. Ex-General Chalifa Haftar, who controls the east of the country, is putting pressure on the troops of the internationally recognized government. The German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who is traveling to Moscow with Merkel, has now warned that Libya can "second Syria" become.

Germany is ready to host a peace conference on Libya, but no date has yet been announced. If it takes place, that would be in the words of the CDU foreign politician Jürgen Hardt "a great success of diplomacy" The Chancellor set "with their full political weight on this card", says Hardt. But it is "one more way to go until we really get ahead".

Former General Haftar is putting military pressure on the UN-recognized Libyan government

Putin issued a joint statement with Erdogan on Wednesday, in which both supported the plan for the peace conference. However, both presidents added that success was only possible "with the participation and with the commitment of the Libyans and neighboring countries" Libya. Putin and Erdogan also called for a ceasefire to begin on Sunday.

Moscow has never made it clear whose side it is in this conflict. According to media reports, however, Russian mercenaries are fighting at Haftar’s side. For its part, Turkey has dispatched soldiers to Libya to support the official government.

The meeting in Moscow could now show how much diplomatic influence Merkel has in Libya and the entire region. According to Fyodor Lukyanov of the Russian Council for Foreign Affairs, Putin is clearly in charge of the negotiations. "Germany is a passive player here, a spectator", he says, "Russia, on the other hand, is a key player."

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Audio and V >

In a nutshell – USA against Iran: A new Gulf war threatens?

date 01/11/2020
Writer / Author Emily Sherwin
topics pagesRussia, Germany, Vladimir Putin
TagsRussia, Germany, Merkel, Putin, Middle East
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Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3VzWz

more on the subject

Comment: Merkel and Putin – no friends, but partners 11.01.2020

Crisis diplomacy in the Kremlin: In Moscow, the Chancellor spoke to Russia’s President about the areas of conflict in the Middle East, among other things. Both are dependent on each other, says Yuri Rescheto.

Putin supports Libya conference in Berlin on January 11, 2020

Chancellor Merkel and Russia’s President Putin had been eagerly awaiting the meeting in Moscow in view of the numerous sources of conflict around the world. Both emphasized their willingness to engage in dialogue.

Comment: Libya conference in Berlin – Merkel can do crisis 13.01.2020

The conflicting parties in Libya will meet in the German capital in a few days to find a way out of the impending war. It is also Merkel’s fault that it has come to this, says Michaela Küfner.

date 01/11/2020
Writer / Author Emily Sherwin
topics pagesRussia, Germany, Vladimir Putin
TagsRussia, Germany, Merkel, Putin, Middle East
Send us your feedback!
To pressPrint Page
Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3VzWz

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