BERLIN — In Germany these days, there are two camps when it comes to dealing with Vladimir Putin's Russia. They're referred to here as Amerika-Freunde (America-friends) and Putin-Versteher (Putin-sympathizers) and can apply to foreign-policy circles as well as the person on the street. In navigating the Ukraine crisis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is leading the international community's negotiations with Putin, is currently caught between them. In fact, the fault lines run right through her own cabinet of Christian Democrats and Social Democrats.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
Foreign Policy: Merkel in the middle
Ukrainian troops guard on the road from Izyum to Slavyansk on May 19, 2014. NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Monday he had seen no proof of Russian troops withdrawing from the border with Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin announced an end to exercises and return to bases. AFP PHOTO/ GENYA SAVILOV
