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What is Angela Merkel's current stance on international relations with Russia amidst ongoing conflicts and tension between the two nations?

Chelsie Wegman

Well, as far as Angela Merkel's stance on international relations with Russia goes, it's definitely a complex issue.

On one hand, she's been a pretty vocal critic of Russia's actions in Ukraine and Syria, and has pushed for sanctions against the country in order to try and rein in some of their more aggressive behavior. At the same time, however, there are a lot of economic ties between Germany and Russia that she's had to balance against those concerns.

As of late, Merkel has been walking a bit of a tightrope when it comes to relations with Russia. She's been pretty firm on the need for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine and stop supporting separatist rebels there, but has also pushed for more diplomatic engagement with Moscow in an effort to defuse some of the tensions that have been bubbling up in recent years.

One of the reasons Merkel has been so vocal about the need for Russia to respect Ukraine's sovereignty is the fact that Germany has such a large Ukrainian community. In fact, as of 2016, there were over 2 million people of Ukrainian descent living in Germany, which is about 2.4% of the country's total population. This has given Merkel a lot of political cover to take a tough stance on Russia without alienating too many of her constituents.

At the same time, however, Germany also has a lot of economic interests tied up with Russia. As of 2018, Germany was the seventh largest source of imports for Russia, accounting for about 4.6% of all imports. Germany is also a major exporter to Russia, with over $30 billion worth of goods and services flowing between the two countries each year.

So Merkel has had to navigate a pretty delicate balance between standing up for Germany's values and interests, while also not completely tanking relations with Russia. It's a tough job, but so far she seems to be doing a pretty good job of it.