Putin to Merkel: EU can’t afford a new Syrian refugee crisis

Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Angela Merkel he supports the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, warning Europe can’t afford another migration crisis.

Putin’s remark, made before his first bilateral meeting with Merkel in Germany since 2013, hinted at the tension between the two leaders even as U.S. President Donald Trump’s disruption of the global order pushes them into alliances of convenience after years of antagonism.

The invitation by Merkel, Putin’s most implacable critic since he annexed Crimea in 2014, is a break in his isolation that also reaffirms the German leader’s pivotal role in Europe.

Yet while Putin dangled the vista of humanitarian aid paving the way for some Syrian refugees to return home, German officials say that’s unrealistic for now.

“I remind you that there are a million refugees in Jordan and a million in Lebanon,” Putin told reporters alongside Merkel on Saturday before they met at a German government chateau north of Berlin.

“There are 3 million refugees in Turkey.

“This is potentially a huge burden on Europe, so it is better to do everything possible so that they can return home.”

For all their differences, Merkel and Putin agreed that they want to preserve the nuclear accord with Iran after Trump withdrew U.S. support for the deal.

They’re also pushing ahead with the Nord Stream 2 naturalgas pipeline from Russia to Germany over U.S. objections. Putin, alongside Merkel, cited the pipeline as a key economic bond.

Merkel opened her remarks by telling Putin that Russia has an elevated responsibility to solve global crises.