BERLIN: A senior Christian Democrat criticised German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier's stance on Ukraine and Russia in a signal of a possible rift appearing within Chancellor Angela Merkel's right-left coalition over relations with Moscow.
Conservative leader Merkel and Steinmeier, who is a senior member of the Social Democrats (SPD), have been at pains to stress how closely they are co-ordinating on policy since the Ukraine crisis began, despite the traditionally warmer ties to Moscow maintained by the leftist SPD.
Andreas Schockenhoff, a senior ally of Merkel in her party, on Tuesday took issue with several of Steinmeier's recent comments, for example his warning the European Union not to force eastern European countries to have to choose between East or West.
"That is a very problematic remark ... it was Russia and not the EU that forced Ukraine into such a choice," Schockenhoff told Reuters ahead of a speech he is due to give on Wednesday in which he will criticise elements of Germany's stance.
Schockenhoff, who served as co-ordinator for Russian and German civil ties in Merkel's previous centre-right government, also criticised Steinmeier for saying at last week's NATO foreign ministers meeting that he did not see Ukraine joining the alliance - noting parliament had not discussed this and it infringed on Ukraine's freedom of choice.
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