Merkel Says EU Chiefs Await Greek Plan to Break Impasse

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Greece will play a peripheral role in discussions at a European Union summit in Brussels Thursday, with leaders awaiting proposals on how to break a deadlock over the country’s future financing.

Merkel, who arrived for the talks directly from Minsk, Belarus, where she helped negotiate a cease-fire in the Ukraine conflict, said that the deal struck between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Petro Poroshenko would dominate, followed by a discussion of anti-terrorism efforts in light of the Paris attacks. Greece will play a role, “though only at the margins,” she said, adding that she looked forward to her first meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.