After nine months of non-stop German diplomacy to defuse the crisis in Ukraine, Chancellor Angela Merkel decided in mid-November that a change of tack was needed.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
Reuters: Merkel hits diplomatic dead-end with Putin
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) speaks Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) as Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi looks on prior their meeting on Ukraine's crisis with Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko (not seen), on Oct. 17, 2014.
