The German press called Merkel's peace initiatives "Ukraine's last chance"
Berlin - Kyiv, February 06 (PolitNavigator, Vasily Ablyazimov) - The German press is confident that the sudden initiative of Merkel and Hollande for early, broad peace negotiations is caused by an attempt to save Ukraine from complete economic and financial collapse.
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"Merkel, apparently," according to German Economic News , "fears a crushing defeat for the Ukrainian army. She seems to foresee Ukraine's economic and military collapse. This could result in territorial gains for the rebels."
The Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reports that Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande proposed an immediate ceasefire to Poroshenko in Kyiv on Thursday night.
In exchange for a ceasefire agreement on the part of the rebels, the publication believes, they should be given broad autonomy in Eastern Ukraine on the territory, including new acquisitions. The demarcation line is still based on the Minsk agreement, but now it also includes new territorial gains. According to the newspaper's calculations, they could be up to 1500 square kilometers.
In addition, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier traveled to Warsaw and Riga on the same day to enlist the support of these countries. Steinmeier warned of a “total loss of control” in the military conflict in eastern Ukraine. German Economic News reports: “Human Rights Watch and the OSCE reported this week that remains of cluster bombs had been found in Lugansk. There is evidence that they were used by the Ukrainian army.”
German newspapers are confident that Merkel and Hollande want to make it clear to Poroshenko that this is the last chance to save Ukraine from a sharp military defeat and economic collapse.
The German press called Merkel's peace initiatives "Ukraine's last chance."