Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on Europe to present a united front. This is crucial in order to overcome the crisis in Ukraine and enforce the strength of the law, she said.
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She also stressed, "There can be absolutely no doubt that we want security in Europe with Russia and not against Russia."
Last year called into question the very fundaments of the European peace order "on a scale that we have not seen for a very long time", said Chancellor Angela Merkel in her New Year address. In the Ukraine crisis people are being denied their right to free self-determination.
At the same time Angela Merkel stressed that security is Europe "is to be achieved with Russia not against Russia". There can, however, be no question "of Europe accepting the law of the jungle where the stronger side violates international law. We cannot accept this, and we will not accept it."
The Chancellor sees the focus on Europe’s united approach. "Europe has decided that it will not let itself be divided, but that it will act together more strongly than ever before in order to defend its peace order and its values." In her address Angela Merkel made it plain that the unity of Europe is not an end in itself. "It is the key to overcoming the crisis in Ukraine and enforcing the strength of the law."
On 28 December Angela Merkel last stressed that the stabilisation of the situation in Ukraine depends on the Minsk Protocol being implemented. At the same time she called on the Russian government to exert the influence it has over the separatists.
On 2 January Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke by telephone with his Ukrainian, Russian and French counterparts, Pavlo Klimkin, Sergei Lavrov and Laurent Fabius. The focus was on the next steps to implement the Minsk Protocol. All sides agreed that the Contact Group should meet as soon as possible, and undertook to continue to work together to bring about a meeting.
The Minsk Protocol, which was signed on 5 September 2014, provides for the withdrawal of heavy weapons, the exchange of prisoners, and the monitoring of both the ceasefire and the Ukrainian-Russian border by the OSCE. One main concern, in view of the coming winter, is to improve the humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine.