Failed diplomacy: NATO hardliners push for firmer stance against Russia

[German Chancellor Angela] Merkel's approach had enjoyed broad support

within NATO. And she was able to ensure that Jens Stoltenberg, the smooth and
diplomatic former prime minister of Norway, take over for outgoing NATO
Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. But attitudes are shifting. With
each new Russian provocation, the arguments in favor of confrontation are
becoming more difficult to ignore.


By Nikolaus Blome, Christiane Hoffmann, Ralf Neukirch and Christoph Schult for Der
Spiegel:

After months of failed telephone diplomacy between Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin,
hardliners are gaining the upper hand in discussions over the appropriate response to
Russia. They may soon prevail with demands that go far beyond new economic sanctions.

The official number is 25. That, according to the government, is how often German
Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the
telephone since last November. But there are estimates and evidence to suggest that there
have been closer to 35 such chats. All of the conversations focused on Ukraine. A
breakthrough was never achieved.

Merkel's relations with Putin are considered to be closer than those enjoyed by most other
Western leader with the Russian president. Yet positive outcomes from those ties have
been nonexistent.

The crisis in Eastern Europe, just two hours by plane from Berlin, is now entering its 10th
month. What began with the collapse of an association agreement between the European
Union and Ukraine can now be called a war. Heavy weapons are being deployed in the
battle over cities and villages. Military reports speak of strategically important highland.
And each day, soldiers are dying -- some with and some without regular uniforms.

From the very beginning of this crisis, it was Merkel who used her relatively good relations
with the Russian president to at least try to understand him, to convey different viewpoints
and also to warn him. US President Barack Obama and the other Europeans also followed
her lead.

Ultimately, though, the approach didn't achieve the necessary results.

No one within the EU or NATO is accusing Merkel of failing, but at the NATO summit this
week, Merkel is likely to face some tough questions. Like why NATO partners should
continue a dialogue with a man who often doesn't keep his word. And what happens if the
constant tightening of sanctions doesn't make any impression on the Kremlin?

The crisis has reached the point the chancellor wanted to avoid all costs -- the point where
military logic replaces diplomatic efforts. Putin appears to have gone even beyond this
stage by allowing the deployment of Russian troops and their equipment into eastern
Ukraine. Within NATO, pressure is growing on Merkel to change her approach.

For complete text, link below:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/pressure-mounts-for-more-aggressive-stance-against-russia-a-989216.html

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