Bloomberg: Rapprochement with Russia is now a core policy objective for Germany

Published May 18, 2018 at 2:00 pm

German Chancellor Angela Merkel talks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) as they attend the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany, on July 8, 2017.Leaders of the world's top economies gather from July 7 to 8, 2017 in Germany for likely the stormiest G20 summit in years, with disagreements ranging from wars to climate change and global trade.

Photo by AFP

As Donald Trump shakes up the global order, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is being pushed closer toward a more predictable partner in Moscow.

When President Vladimir Putin hosts Merkel in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on May 18, he’s likely to notice a change in tone from a tense meeting a year ago when the two leaders clashed over Ukraine and Russian election meddling. Now they’re in the same corner trying to shield businesses from U.S. sanctions, defend the Iran nuclear accord ditched by Trump and rebuffing American objections to a new gas pipeline linking Russia and Germany.