BERLIN — President Barack Obama and key European
leaders “unanimously agreed” on Friday to keep sanctions in place against
Russia for its intervention in Ukraine, amid concern that President-elect
Donald J. Trump would soften the stance against Moscow.
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany greeted President Obama as he arrived for meetings in Berlin with several European leaders on Friday. Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
The show of solidarity came as American allies — and
Ukrainians themselves — have been unsettled by uncertainty regarding what kind
of foreign policy Mr. Trump will pursue.
With surging populist movements straining alliances
and Mr. Trump’s election upending the political calculations of many countries,
Ukraine may be among the most vulnerable to the shifting political winds.
Fighting in Ukraine has continued since Moscow
stealthily fomented an uprising among ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine with
the help of undercover Russian forces, and then annexed Crimea in March 2014.
President-elect Trump has frequently expressed
admiration for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, and a former Trump
campaign manager, Paul Manafort, previously worked for the onetime Ukrainian
president, Viktor Yanukovych, who is now exiled in Russia.
Meeting in Berlin, Mr. Obama and the European leaders
agreed that the sanctions should stay until Moscow upheld its pledge for a
cease-fire and to withdraw heavy weapons from front lines in eastern Ukraine,
according to the White House.
Those in attendance on Friday included the German
chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the French president, François Hollande, as well
as the prime ministers of Italy (Matteo Renzi), Spain (Mariano Rajoy) and
Britain (Theresa May).
The agreement on Ukraine followed remarks by President
Obama on Thursday warning Mr. Trump to “stand up” to Moscow when it violated
international agreements.
The chancellor, too, reminded Russia that peace in
Europe had only been possible over the past several decades because all nations
respected the boundaries drawn up after World War II.
Friday’s meeting concluded a weeklong visit to
European allies by the American president, whose terms ends in January.
But what was supposed to be a valedictory lap by Mr.
Obama turned into an exercise in calming anxieties about the future of
trans-Atlantic relations spurred by the victory of Mr. Trump, who repeatedly
called the NATO alliance into question during his election campaign.
The American election result last week, coming on the
heels of the surprising British vote in June to leave the European Union, has
intensified an existential crisis for the bloc.
The group also discussed tensions in the Middle East,
including the situation in Syria, the White House said.
The leaders agreed that attacks on the besieged city
of Aleppo should be halted immediately, and called on Russia and Iran to halt
their support for the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad.
“On Syria, of course looking at Aleppo, we were united
in our condemnation of the atrocities that are taking place there,” Mrs. May
told reporters, standing alongside Ms. Merkel after Mr. Obama had departed. “We
agreed the need to keep up pressure on Russia, including the possibility of
sanctions on those who breach international humanitarian law.”
That consensus, too, was another potential point of
departure from the incoming Mr. Trump, who has signaled that he may side with
Russia in backing the Assad government against the opponents trying to unseat
it, including the Islamic State.
After the meeting in Berlin, Mr. Obama left Germany
for Latin America on the next leg of his farewell tour.
The previous evening, Mr. Obama had a traditional
German meal of pork hocks, hosted by Ms. Merkel and her husband, Joachim Sauer.
Several dinner guests were selected in recognition of
their contribution to German-American relations, including the Argentine-born
conductor Daniel Barenboim, the German coach of the United States men’s soccer
team Jürgen Klinsmann, and the German film director Tom Tykwer.
No comments:
Post a Comment