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| Merkel and Hollande Send Russia a Warning | Merkel and Hollande Send Russia a Warning |
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| STRALSUND, Germany — Chancellor Angela Merkel invites only the most select of visitors to this pretty Baltic Sea port, the center of her parliamentary constituency and a rich symbol of Germany’s centuries of trade with Russia and the country’s revival after the fall of the Berlin Wall almost 25 years ago. | STRALSUND, Germany — Chancellor Angela Merkel invites only the most select of visitors to this pretty Baltic Sea port, the center of her parliamentary constituency and a rich symbol of Germany’s centuries of trade with Russia and the country’s revival after the fall of the Berlin Wall almost 25 years ago. |
| So the invitation extended to President François Hollande of France, who came for a brief visit that ended Saturday, was clearly intended to underscore the Franco-German alliance, the traditional motor of European unity, which has sputtered recently as its two members become ever more unequal. | So the invitation extended to President François Hollande of France, who came for a brief visit that ended Saturday, was clearly intended to underscore the Franco-German alliance, the traditional motor of European unity, which has sputtered recently as its two members become ever more unequal. |
| In a joint statement, Ms. Merkel and Mr. Hollande, both 59-year-olds but of quite different backgrounds and political beliefs, warned Russia that it would face tough sanctions if it did not help defuse the crisis in Ukraine, including taking “visible steps” to pull back its troops from Ukraine’s border. Last week, President Vladimir V. Putin said he had already done so, but NATO and Western leaders said they had seen no evidence of a withdrawal. | In a joint statement, Ms. Merkel and Mr. Hollande, both 59-year-olds but of quite different backgrounds and political beliefs, warned Russia that it would face tough sanctions if it did not help defuse the crisis in Ukraine, including taking “visible steps” to pull back its troops from Ukraine’s border. Last week, President Vladimir V. Putin said he had already done so, but NATO and Western leaders said they had seen no evidence of a withdrawal. |
| Above all, the leaders agreed, Ukraine’s presidential election on May 25 must be allowed to proceed freely and fairly, including in southeastern Ukraine, where armed separatists and pro-Ukrainian forces are locked in violence that has claimed scores of lives in the past two weeks. As a step toward calming tensions, nonmilitary combatants should turn in weapons starting Thursday, said Ms. Merkel, a conservative, and Mr. Hollande, a Socialist. The statement did not explain how Europeans sent to observe and monitor the election could carry out that task. | Above all, the leaders agreed, Ukraine’s presidential election on May 25 must be allowed to proceed freely and fairly, including in southeastern Ukraine, where armed separatists and pro-Ukrainian forces are locked in violence that has claimed scores of lives in the past two weeks. As a step toward calming tensions, nonmilitary combatants should turn in weapons starting Thursday, said Ms. Merkel, a conservative, and Mr. Hollande, a Socialist. The statement did not explain how Europeans sent to observe and monitor the election could carry out that task. |
| Mr. Putin “must send more signals of de-escalation, to allow the elections to happen,” Ms. Merkel told reporters at a joint news conference. “Everything else would lead to more steps on the sanctions path.” | Mr. Putin “must send more signals of de-escalation, to allow the elections to happen,” Ms. Merkel told reporters at a joint news conference. “Everything else would lead to more steps on the sanctions path.” |
| The camaraderie on display during a boat ride and sightseeing trip on Friday and a stroll on Saturday around the center of Stralsund symbolized both the strengths of European unity and the Continent’s troubles. | |
| Differences between the two countries’ economies are part of the problem. Germany’s economic success is the envy of other Europeans, but Mr. Hollande has proved unable to reduce unemployment or spur meaningful growth in France. | Differences between the two countries’ economies are part of the problem. Germany’s economic success is the envy of other Europeans, but Mr. Hollande has proved unable to reduce unemployment or spur meaningful growth in France. |
| The two countries are undergoing “a divorce of situation,” said Dominique Moïsi of the French Institute of International Relations in Paris. Germany is successful and at ease with itself, while France is uncertain. “The big thing needed for Franco-German relations to work again is that France should feel more confident,” he said. | The two countries are undergoing “a divorce of situation,” said Dominique Moïsi of the French Institute of International Relations in Paris. Germany is successful and at ease with itself, while France is uncertain. “The big thing needed for Franco-German relations to work again is that France should feel more confident,” he said. |
| Senior officials from both sides painted a picture of harmony and assured reporters that the two leaders relished chatting at length about Ukraine and what happens to Europe after another May 25 election, the vote for the next European Parliament. | |
| That vote was not mentioned once by Germans interviewed during Mr. Hollande’s visit — suggesting that many of the Continent’s 380 million eligible voters feel distant from European governance in Brussels, and are likely to skip the election. | That vote was not mentioned once by Germans interviewed during Mr. Hollande’s visit — suggesting that many of the Continent’s 380 million eligible voters feel distant from European governance in Brussels, and are likely to skip the election. |
| While opinion polls suggest that Ukrainians will elect a president who wants to propel their country closer to Europe, voters in the 28 countries already in the European Union seem likely to bolster nationalist and populist parties whose agenda is broadly anti-Brussels. | While opinion polls suggest that Ukrainians will elect a president who wants to propel their country closer to Europe, voters in the 28 countries already in the European Union seem likely to bolster nationalist and populist parties whose agenda is broadly anti-Brussels. |
| In contrast to their seeming indifference to the European elections, some residents of Stralsund held strong views that Germany should stay out of the crisis in Ukraine. | |
| Stralsund was in Communist East Germany, where Ms. Merkel grew up and worked as a scientist until entering politics as the country was reuniting. | Stralsund was in Communist East Germany, where Ms. Merkel grew up and worked as a scientist until entering politics as the country was reuniting. |
| Opinion polls in Germany have indicated that residents of the former East Germany are more inclined than those in the western part of the country to endorse the view that Mr. Putin is merely protecting Russia’s interests in Ukraine, above all against what he calls NATO encroachment on Russia’s western borders. | Opinion polls in Germany have indicated that residents of the former East Germany are more inclined than those in the western part of the country to endorse the view that Mr. Putin is merely protecting Russia’s interests in Ukraine, above all against what he calls NATO encroachment on Russia’s western borders. |
| As is sometimes the case in the former East — whether out of general German reserve about expressing a contrary view, or memories of Communist rule — none of those who said Germany should stay out of the crisis would give their names. | As is sometimes the case in the former East — whether out of general German reserve about expressing a contrary view, or memories of Communist rule — none of those who said Germany should stay out of the crisis would give their names. |
| “Ukraine should get on with its own affairs,” said one man, a retired 63-year-old sailor. | |
| Jörg Orlowski, 52, who runs a business fitting kitchens, was more supportive of Ms. Merkel and the gains of the post-Communist era. But he and his wife, Katrin, 48, also hesitated when considering the risks posed by the Ukraine crisis. “Not even the Russians know what will happen there,” she said. | Jörg Orlowski, 52, who runs a business fitting kitchens, was more supportive of Ms. Merkel and the gains of the post-Communist era. But he and his wife, Katrin, 48, also hesitated when considering the risks posed by the Ukraine crisis. “Not even the Russians know what will happen there,” she said. |
| Most stressed the gains of reunification. Without funds from the West, and hard work to save buildings that were crumbling under communism, “Stralsund would have completely collapsed,” said Sylvia Hoff-Lorenz, 48, an office worker. | |
| Stralsund owes its architectural beauty to the Hanseatic League, the German-dominated alliance of mostly Baltic port cities that first traded Russian raw materials for German finished goods centuries ago. | |
| The modern version of that trade is Russian energy for German engineering, which nurtures a dependence on Russian natural gas in Germany and in other former Soviet bloc countries now in the European Union. | The modern version of that trade is Russian energy for German engineering, which nurtures a dependence on Russian natural gas in Germany and in other former Soviet bloc countries now in the European Union. |
| In a reflection of how much the Ukraine crisis may change Europe, Poland recently proposed a European energy union that would wean Europeans off Russian gas and involve coal, nuclear and other measures to restructure energy supplies. | In a reflection of how much the Ukraine crisis may change Europe, Poland recently proposed a European energy union that would wean Europeans off Russian gas and involve coal, nuclear and other measures to restructure energy supplies. |
| European leaders have resisted such proposals for decades. But Mr. Hollande and Ms. Merkel both said they were now prepared to contemplate a European energy union. | European leaders have resisted such proposals for decades. But Mr. Hollande and Ms. Merkel both said they were now prepared to contemplate a European energy union. |