After two days of intense diplomacy on both sides of the Atlantic about the Ukraine crisis, the leaders of France, Germany and Poland said their overriding goal was the preservation of peace in Europe but warned Russia of dire consequences if it launched further incursions into Ukraine.
"We share one goal,” Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, said Tuesday after the leaders met in Berlin. "Preserving peace in Europe with diplomacy and clear messages and the common readiness to act jointly.”
But, he made clear, peace could not come at any price. Speaking a day after meeting U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, Scholz continued: "A further violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine is unacceptable and would lead to far-reaching consequences for Russia politically, economically and surely strategically, too.”