Economics
In Tense Encounter, Merkel Tells Putin Sanctions Must Remain
- Open disagreement exposed on Ukraine, Chechnya, human rights
- Merkel voices confidence Russia can’t swing German election
Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel give a press conference following their meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi, Russia, on May 2, 2017.
Photographer: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told President Vladimir Putin that European Union sanctions will have to remain on Russia as the two leaders clashed over Ukraine, human rights and election meddling at a chilly encounter in the Black Sea city of Sochi.
Addressing a joint press conference with Putin after about two hours of talks on Tuesday, Merkel raised concerns about the rights of homosexuals in Chechnya and Russia’s role in the war in Syria. She devoted much of her time to the lack of progress in resolving the three-year-old conflict in Ukraine.