Angela Merkel goes cold on Putin relations after anti-gay tirade

[Melech 9,900]

 

 

HE HAD annexed Crimea and sent his forces into eastern Ukraine, but the moment when Angela Merkel finally became convinced that there could be no reconciliation with Vladimir Putin was when she was treated to his hardline views on gay rights.

The German chancellor was deep in one of the 40 conversations she has had with the Russian president over the past year  more than the combined total with David Cameron, Francois Hollande and Barack Obama  when he began to rail against the “decadence†of the West.

Nothing exemplified this “decay of values†more than the West’s promotion of gay rights, Mr Putin told her.

It was then, said sources close to Ms Merkel, that she realised Europe and America should abandon all hope of finding a common language with the Kremlin and instead should adopt a policy of Cold War-style containment.

“The chancellor has come to believe that Putin is driven by an ultra-conservative mindset that is shared by his inner circle and is based on a belief that Russia’s values are superior and irreconcilable to those of the West,†said a source.

Ms Merkel understood that “there will be no deals with Putin, unless they are on his own terms, and that is neither acceptable nor possibleâ€.

Since the eruption of the crisis over Ukraine at the end of last year, Mrs Merkel has played an increasingly pivotal role in Europe’s  and the West’s  policy towards the Kremlin, coming to act as chief negotiator with Russia’s leader.

Initially she had adopted a conciliatory stance, dictated in part by the $135 million a year in trade between Germany and Russia. She also had to take account of the pro-Moscow stance followed by her coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD).

Under the party’s former leaders Willy Brandt and Helmut Schmidt, the SPD had normalised relations with the then Soviet Union in the 1970s in a policy known as Ostpolitik.

Gerhard Schroder, SPD chancellor from 1998 to 2005, went further: since leaving office he has worked as a paid lobbyist for a company linked to the Kremlin, even celebrating his 70th birthday with Putin in St Petersburg in April.

As Mr Putin escalated the situation in Ukraine, however, and repeatedly told Mrs Merkel “blatant untruths†about his intentions, her policy towards Russia has hardened.

Mrs Merkel has now become the toughest proponent of a new containment strategy and believes the West must be “mentally prepared†for another escalation that would lead to even harsher sanctions.

After confronting the Putinversteher (Putin apologists) in her coalition and in German industry, Mrs Merkel is now working to build a united European Union front against Kremlin aggression.

“Changing borders by force in Europe today is unacceptable: Putin needs to be made to pay for what he has done and the price will have to be high,†said a source familiar with Mrs Merkel’s strategy.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, her SPD foreign minister, was accused of drifting from Mrs Merkel’s tough line and running a “parallel foreign policy†after a recent meeting with Mr Putin in Moscow, but a Merkel aide insisted there was “total consensus†between them.

Squaring some of her fellow EU members could prove more difficult for Mrs Merkel: several governments oppose further sanctions for fear they will damage their own economies, including Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria, all of which have close financial and business ties to Russia.

While Germany’s economic and political might may eventually prevail in bringing them into line, Mrs Merkel faces a still bigger challenge from Rome.

Italy obtains 30 per cent of its gas from Russia and the two countries have dozens of trade and investment agreements. Matteo Renzi, the prime minister, is thought to be sceptical about the effectiveness of sanctions  even if he does not enjoy the same close personal relationship with Mr Putin as Silvio Berlusconi, the disgraced former leader.

Sources close to the Italian government said that the crisis could have been averted if Moscow’s “legitimate†national and security interests had been taken into account  in particular its virulent opposition to Ukraine joining NATO.

Mrs Merkel’s own personal history informs her dealings with Mr Putin. Now aged 60, she grew up in the communist former East Germany and speaks Russian. In her youth she travelled across the vast Soviet empire and, according to people who know her well, has a deep understanding and appreciation of Russian culture.

Mr Putin, 62, who served as a KGB officer in Dresden, is a fluent German speaker and also knows the country well.

According to people who have witnessed their encounters, the dealings of the two leaders have never been cordial, but the relationship between them has become “very familiar†during the nine years since Mrs Merkel became chancellor.

Mr Putin, they say, respects his German counterpart’s “power and success†and understanding of his country. For Mrs Merkel’s part, she is the only leader who has always been able to challenge Putin openly.

In 2012 she told him during a televised event in Moscow that it had been wrong to imprison members of *** Riot, the iconoclastic punk protest group, and that such a prosecution would never have taken place in Germany.

Behind closed doors, sources claim, the tone of their exchanges becomes even “harsherâ€. A source said: “The only thing he understands and respects is the language of strength.â€

Mr Putin has attempted to humiliate Mrs Merkel on several occasions. At a meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in 2007, he allowed his black labrador Koni into the room in the presence of journalists, knowing she is afraid of dogs.

Mrs Merkel remained composed, however, and later told German reporters that the Russian leader had to do such things to “prove he is a manâ€.

Last month Mr Putin made her wait for hours for a scheduled meeting in Milan. Unfazed, she spent the time instead having a leisurely stroll through the city.

Mrs Merkel, say aides, has never been intimidated by the Kremlin strongman and journalists recall her amusing impersonations of Mr Putin’s macho posturing.

Since her exposure to the Kremlin leader’s views on the decadence of the West, Mrs Merkel has continued to meet Mr Putin  spending several hours with him at this month’s G20 in Brisbane  but she has also pressed ahead with building the coalition against him.

As was the case during the euro crisis, aides say Mrs Merkel believes that Germany has no alternative but to play a leading role.

“Cameron is beleaguered at home, Hollande is the weakest French president in history and Obama is a lame duck,†said Joerg Forbrig of the German Marshall Fund think tank.

“The German chancellor is the only undisputed leader with the legitimacy to take the lead in dealing with Russia, which is becoming a threat to Europe.â€

The Sunday Times

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/angela-merkel-goes-cold-on-putin-relations-after-anti-gay-tirade/story-fnb64oi6-1227139938552

 

[Fish 6,259]

omg.... finally realizing... The next years will be crucial....

[HANZ 4,380]

Yasss tell him queen

 

Not Angela having more guts that the rest of western politicians to say the truth :toofloppy:

 

but I am afraid that a new cold war is about to start tho

[Melech 9,900]

Yasss tell him queen

 

Not Angela having for guts that the rest of western politicians to say the truth :toofloppy:

 

but I am afraid that a new cold war is about to start tho

Maybe because of all major Western Countries, Germany/Merkel have the biggest cultural,understanding ties

[Hauser 1,262]

Queen Angela checking that idiot Putin  

[Computer 10,980]

What a douche he is, especially those little things like bringing that dog to meet Merkel.

Good for ha

[bionic 50,111]

Mr Putin has attempted to humiliate Mrs Merkel on several occasions. At a meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in 2007, he allowed his black labrador Koni into the room in the presence of journalists, knowing she is afraid of dogs..

 

What a [expletive].  :blue:

[BornAsUnic0rn 2,245]

YAAAAAS MERKEL YAAAAAAS I KNOW WHY I MADE MY FAMILY VOTE FOR THE CDU!!

[Memo 176]

Slay Angela Merkel

 

That las pic tho, so shady

[Qualle1 1,385]

Fully agree with the politics of Queen Angela Merkel and the German Government.

[Echo 327]

Obama is a lame duck?

 

Listen i'm glad Obama is trying to handle things over here.

[Pop 4,541]

Hopefully she sticks to the truth.

 

No negotiating with a terrorist. I feel so bad for the LGBT people in Russia. 

[xoxo cupcakke 4,781]

Angela's one of my idols ever since I first heard of her my freshman year. I'm glad she is so supportive of the gays. She kind of reminds me of my mom just with blond hair, blue eyes and always rocking a power suit

[Nemo 4,410]

Obama is a lame duck?

Yeah, "lame duck" is a stupid concept. All it means is that, due to term limits, he can't be reelected.

[Melech 9,900]

Obama is a lame duck?

 

Listen i'm glad Obama is trying to handle things over here.

I'm not agreeing with calling him a lame duck, but i guess it's because obama is always promising things and nothing happens. not sure tho