默克爾指責普京製造"麻煩"

Angela Merkel, German chancellor, yesterday delivered a sweeping criticism of President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine crisis, warning that Russia was “creating problems” in Moldova and Georgia, and trying to make some Balkan states “politically and economically dependent”.

德國總理安格拉•默克爾(Angela Merkel)昨日就烏克蘭危機猛烈抨擊了俄羅斯總統弗拉基米爾•普京(Vladimir Putin)。她警告稱，俄羅斯正在摩爾多瓦和格魯吉亞“製造麻煩”，並試圖讓一些巴爾幹半島國家“在政治上和經濟上依賴俄羅斯”。

Ms Merkel’s comments, in a German newspaper interview, were published just as France’s President François Hollande was meeting Mr Putin in an effort to defuse tensions.

在默克爾接受一家德國報紙採訪，發表上述言論之際，法國總統弗朗索瓦•奧朗德(François Hollande)卻與普京會晤，以期緩和緊張關係。

Asked about the risk of war between Russia and the west over the Baltic states, where Moscow has in recent weeks unnerved residents with military flights and other aggressive acts, the chancellor struck a reassuring tone.

在被問及俄羅斯與西方圍繞波羅的海國家開戰的風險時，默克爾的回答令人放心。莫斯科最近幾周出動的軍事飛機和其他激進舉措讓那裏的居民們感到不安。

“The question of war in the Baltic states does not arise,” she told Die Welt am Sonntag newspaper. “Nevertheless, Article 5 of the Nato treaty, that is the obligation of mutual support, applies to all allies.”

她向德國《週日世界報》(Die Welt am Sonntag)表示：“波羅的海國家並未出現戰爭問題，然而，北約(Nato)協定第5條款適用於所有盟國，即各成員國負有相互支持的義務。”

The interview was published yesterday, a day after Mr Hollande made an unannounced stop in Moscow for a two-hour meeting with Mr Putin at Vnukovo airport. The two leaders emerged saying they believed they could help resolve the Ukraine crisis.

上述採訪文章是在昨日發表的，此前一天，法國總統奧朗德在外出訪問期間出人意料地經停莫斯科，與普京在伏努科沃機場舉行了兩小時會談。兩位領導人結束會談後表示，相信他們可以幫助解決烏克蘭危機。

Paris said yesterday that Mr Hollande later spoke on the telephone with Ms Merkel and Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko.

法國政府昨日表示，奧朗德後來與默克爾和烏克蘭總統彼得羅•波羅申科(Petro Poroshenko)分別通了電話。

Few details of the France-Russian encounter were released but Mr Putin said afterwards: “The discussion we have [ . . . ] is producing some positive results.”

法俄雙方沒有透露多少此次會晤的細節，但普京後來表示：“我們的討論……正產生一些積極的結果。”

The contrast between the French and German approaches reflects the competing impulses within Europe as member states struggle to deal with Mr Putin. Even within national governments, there is a debate about whether to take a softer or harder line against Moscow to persuade Mr Putin to curb his support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.

法德兩國截然不同的態度，反映了歐洲各國在與普京打交道方面彼此競爭的衝動。甚至在各國政府內部，就採取懷柔還是強硬手段以促使普京收斂對烏克蘭東部分裂主義叛軍的支持也爭論不休。

Mr Hollande’s visit was also shadowed by the added drama surrounding two warships the French have so far refused to deliver to Moscow because of the crisis — an awkward stance for Paris that could force the government to repay Moscow and also hurt its reputation as a military supplier.

奧朗德的訪問也因兩艘軍艦的事情而蒙上陰影。由於烏克蘭危機，法國迄今拒絕向莫斯科交付這兩艘軍艦，這對巴黎來說有些尷尬，可能迫使法國政府向莫斯科償還相關款項，也會損害其軍事供應商的名譽。

Both Moscow and Kiev made comments over the weekend about holding talks in Minsk tomorrow to try to achieve a definitive ceasefire after repeatedly violating a pact agreed in September.

各方將於明日在明斯克舉行談判，以努力促成最終的停火，此前在9月達成的停火協定被屢次違背。莫斯科和基輔週末均就明日的談判發表了評論。