The Atlantic Axis and the Making of a War in Ukraine

[The Magistrate]

18. Actual German Position, Sir, On Ukraine

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/23/us-ukraine-crisis-aid-convoy-idUSKBN0GM0IS20140823

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday the standoff over Ukraine could be solved but only if control was tightened over the Ukraine-Russia border across which, the West alleges, Russia has been funnelling arms to help a separatist rebellion.

She said the main obstacle was the lack of controls along the nearly 2,000 km (1,300 mile) border. She proposed a deal between Kiev and Moscow on monitoring of the frontier by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

"Now we need a two-sided ceasefire linked to a clear controlling of the Russian-Ukrainian border, otherwise peace won’t be achieved," Merkel said.

Diplomats say Merkel came to Kiev with two objectives: primarily to show support for Kiev but also to urge Poroshenko to be open to peace proposals when he meets Putin next week in the Belarus capital, Minsk.


Not a single element there I would quarrel with, either as analysis or as policy.