Merkel, Hollande Rule Out Siding With Poroshenko Against Russia

© AFP 2023 / JOHN MACDOUGALL German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L), French President Francois Hollande (C) and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (R) arrive to address a press conference following talks at the chancellery in Berlin on August 24, 2015
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L), French President Francois Hollande (C) and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (R) arrive to address a press conference following talks at the chancellery in Berlin on August 24, 2015 - Sputnik International
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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko might have been trying to create a "three vs one" configuration – Berlin, Paris and Kiev against Moscow – during his brief visit to the German capital on Monday but his ambitions (some might consider unhealthy if not downright malign) were doomed to fail.

From the left : Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko pose for a photo during a time-break in their peace talks in Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015 - Sputnik International
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Kiev's top official appears to never tire of blaming Russia for the Ukrainian civil war sparked by a US-sponsored coup, although Moscow is not a party to the deadly conflict.

Unlike Kiev, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande strongly oppose alienating Russia and siding with Poroshenko to oppose Moscow is out of the question, Tagesschau news service reported following the trilateral meeting.

"Three versus Russia? No, underscores the German government. One cannot cut ties with Moscow even if a new meeting [in the Normandy format] has not been scheduled yet. Poroshenko has to understand that Berlin and Paris count on diplomacy, including talks with all relevant countries," the media outlet noted.

Russia, Germany and France maintain that the Ukrainian civil war could only be solved through diplomatic means and not with a military solution. Ukrainian authorities do not have 100-percent faith in a peaceful resolution and have often asked the West to provide Kiev with lethal weapons.

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The Minsk II agreements signed in mid-February were meant to pave the way for the de-escalation in the Donbass region and a constitutional reform aimed at protecting the rights and freedoms of Ukraine's eastern regions.

The Minsk peace process is stalling and the August 24 meeting in Berlin was supposed to provide an impulse to accelerate it, Tagesschau asserted.

"The implementation of the deal is not going smoothly. The West demands that Kiev engage in talks with the self-defense forces and bring about the federalization of Ukraine," the media outlet stated.

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