Merkel seeks common ground on Poland trip

During a visit to Poland, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the situation in Ukraine remains unacceptable. The German chancellor also warned against "exclusive clubs within the EU."

Angela Merkel's brief visit to Warsaw on Tuesday marked the German leader's first trip to Poland since a populist government was elected there in 2015.
With trade between the two countries booming, Merkel's trip has been widely seen as a chance for Berlin and Warsaw to continue nurturing the slowly-improving diplomatic relations.
Following a 60-minute talk with Merkel, leader of the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party Jaroslaw Kaczynski said there was a "good atmosphere."
Kaczynski, a politician deeply distrustful of Germany, once said the chancellor's goal was to make Poland subordinate to its
western neighbour.
Merkel meanwhile called on Poland's right-wing government on Tuesday to protect the rights of the political opposition as well as those of the justice system, trade unions and media, amid an investigation by the EU Commission into possible Polish violations of the rule of law.
Russia sanctions
In separate talks with Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, Merkel addressed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The chancellor later told reporters that sanctions against Moscow over the ongoing conflict Ukraine cannot yet be lifted.

"The situation on the ground is still unacceptable," she said.

Merkel's comments came just hours after a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which she urged Putin to use his influence on separatists in eastern Ukraine to bring an end to almost three years of violence. The two agreed, however, on the need for new ceasefire efforts.