German chancellor Angela Merkel has conceded that nearly seven "very clear and very tough" hours talking Ukraine and Syria in Berlin failed to produce any notable progress in resolving either conflict.
After hosting Wednesday's talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Berlin, his first visit to Germany since annexing Crimea, Dr Merkel attacked Moscow's bombardment of Aleppo as "inhumane and cruel". Mr Putin, she added, bears "a clear responsibility in Syria, including exerting influence over" president Bashar al-Assad.
French president François Hollande went further in a post-talks press conference alongside Dr Merkel, describing the bombing campaign as a “war crime”.
The German leader said she told Mr Putin she saw only huge civilian suffering and little strategic gain in extensive bombing of the northern Syrian city, ostensibly to root out anti-Assad rebels there.
Speaking separately before leaving Berlin, Mr Putin said he supported extending Thursday’s ceasefire in Syria “as long as situation allows and rebels in Aleppo are not active”.
Dr Merkel had played down hopes of progress ahead of the Berlin talks but, even by those low expectations, the evening meeting produced little hope for the people of Aleppo.
“It was right to open the direct channel for talks at this level despite limited progress in what we achieved,” she said.
Both German and French leaders said the threat of further western sanctions against Russia still stands.
“Everything that can constitute a threat can be useful,” said Mr Hollande alongside the German leader. “We cannot remove this option.”
Mr Putin made clear what he thought of EU sanctions by bringing to the talks Vladisav Surkov, a key Ukraine aide whose name appears on the EU’s sanction list, ostensibly forbidding entry to the bloc. A German government spokesman said Mr Surkov was granted entry as an “exceptional” measure.
Earlier the three leaders, along with Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, held talks in a bid to remove impediments to implementing the Minsk peace plan for Ukraine.
Mr Putin said the “most minimal” progress had been reached on this front. German and French leaders played up agreement on a “road map” of measures to advance last year’s Minsk deal to end conflict in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russian-backed separatists.
Even on this front, however, Dr Merkel conceded that an “arduous process” still lies ahead.
Mr Poroshenko, the first to leave the Berlin talks, said they had agreed on a new armed police mission in the eastern Donbass region.
