In view of the escalation in the level of violence and the many victims in the region she decided with President François Hollande to take steps to counter the spiralling violence, reported Chancellor Angela Merkel during a meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister in Berlin. Through direct talks in Kyiv and Moscow she and President Hollande aim to do all they can to end the bloodshed in eastern Ukraine as swiftly as possible, she said. The Minsk Protocol should at last become reality.

No military solution

"We are convinced that there will be no military solution to the conflict," stressed Angela Merkel. Whether or not this round of talks will be enough to achieve a ceasefire is, however, by no means certain. "We do not know whether we will manage today, or whether more talks might be necessary. We do not know whether our talks today in Moscow will be long or short – or whether they will be the last," said the Chancellor. "We can only do what is in our power."

At the government press conference federal government spokesperson Steffen Seibert reaffirmed that it was worth "making every effort to find a way of bringing about a ceasefire". The Minsk Protocol remains "the best basis for peace". To achieve this goal, Angela Merkel and François Hollande "will leave no stone unturned". We must however realistically see that the talks with President Vladimir Putin will be extremely difficult, he said. "There are no indications that a breakthrough is imminent," pointed out Steffen Seibert.

Standing up for self-determination

With a view to reports of proposals regarding territorial matters, Angela Merkel made it quite clear that she, in her capacity as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, would never get involved in this sort of decision over the head of another state – in this case Ukraine. "There can be no question of that. It is the duty of each country to conduct these negotiations itself."

Angela Merkel stressed that François Hollande and herself are not "neutral mediators". The focus is on representing German, French and above all European interests. That is why she spoke by telephone yesterday with European Council President Donald Tusk to inform him about their trip.

With regard to Europe’s interests it is a matter of peace and the European peace order and of maintaining this, explained Angela Merkel. "And it is about the self-determination of peoples." Europe’s peace order has been "challenged by Russia’s actions" added Steffen Seibert.

In the wake of the most recent escalation in the Ukraine crisis, Chancellor Angela Merkel left for a flying visit to Kyiv on Thursday. With French President François Hollande she discussed the situation in the east of the country with President Petro Poroshenko. Talks with President Vladimir Putin have been scheduled for Friday evening in Moscow.