Merkel Warns of Russia’s Cold War-Style Meddling

BERLIN–German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Monday of increased Russian meddling across Eastern Europe,
criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin for practicing a foreign policy reminiscent of the Cold War.

The comments by Ms. Merkel, who met with Mr. Putin for four hours over the weekend, reflected growing concern in
Berlin that Russia will try to pull other Eastern European countries beyond Ukraine into a Soviet-style sphere of
influence.

“This isn’t just about Ukraine,” Ms. Merkel said in a question-and-answer session at the Lowy Institute for
International Policy in Sydney, Australia, on Monday.

“This is about Moldova, this is about Georgia, and if this continues then one will have to ask about Serbia and one
will have to ask about the countries of the Western Balkans.”

In Georgia, the abrupt departure of several pro-European government ministers earlier this month prompted fears in
Europe that the country could be shifting toward Russia-something the country’s prime minister denies.

In Moldova, the current pro-Western government faces a tight parliamentary election on Nov. 30 against the opposition
Socialist party, which has opposed a new trade and political agreement with the European Union. And in the Balkans,
Russia has been courting politicians in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Old thinking in terms of spheres of influence, in which international law is trampled upon, cannot be allowed to
assert itself,” Ms. Merkel said in a speech at the institute, which included some of her strongest criticism of Mr.
Putin this year.

“I am confident it won’t assert itself, though the road may be long, difficult, and come with many setbacks.”

Ms. Merkel’s comments came at the tail end of her trip to Australia for the weekend summit meeting of the Group of 20
industrialized and developing countries in Brisbane. The chancellor spent about four hours late Saturday night meeting
with Mr. Putin at his hotel, including 2 1/2 hours one-on-one.

German officials have kept quiet about the contents of the meeting, but Ms. Merkel’s strong language showed that
tensions remained high over the crisis in Ukraine. She summoned memories of the Iron Curtain in rejecting the notion
that Europe should seek Moscow’s permission before sealing an economic agreement with an Eastern European country.

“That is how it was for 40 years,” Ms. Merkel said. “I didn’t really want to go back to that.”

Her foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, struck a more conciliatory tone ahead of a foreign ministers’ meeting
in Brussels on Monday. Officials at the meeting weren’t expected to adopt major new sanctions against Russia despite
Western concerns about increased movements of Russian troops and military equipment in eastern Ukraine.

“We have in the end no option but to look for ways to contribute anew to a de-escalation of the whole situation, with
Ukraine and of course with Russia,” said Mr. Steinmeier, who will travel to Kyiv and Moscow on Tuesday.

Mr. Putin, meanwhile, has been trying to take his message directly to the German public. In an interview with German
public broadcaster ARD aired prime time on Sunday night, Mr. Putin warned of the threat of ethnic cleansing by pro-
Ukrainian forces in Ukraine and said Russia “won’t allow” the Kyiv government to “exterminate” its enemies.

He also appealed to Germans to work to restore good relations with Russia.

“Look at what an atmosphere formed between Russian and Germany in the last 10 to 15 years,” Mr. Putin said in the
interview, recorded Thursday. “It would be too bad if we lost all this.”

Write to Anton Troianovski at anton.troianovski@wsj.com

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