The Ukraine crisis dominated the weekend’s Munich Security Conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel playing host to European and American leaders, as well as Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Merkel had just returned from Moscow where she reportedly had a four-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin along with French leader Francois Hollande. Respective spokesmen described those talks as constructive but would not divulge any details, suggesting that an earnest dialogue is indeed underway between Moscow, Berlin and Paris to find a peaceful settlement to the Ukraine conflict. Hollande said, with urgent tone, that the peace bid was a last chance to avert “total war”.
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