Thus the Financial Times today. “German chancellor aims to ease tensions with more talks,” elaborates the newspaper. Of course, Angela Merkel is now calling for trade talks between the European Union and Russia. She has even mentioned the Eurasian Union instead of just Russia in her address to the German parliament. Although Merkel insists that sanctions will remain in place as long as Russia keeps its grab of eastern Ukraine, she is eager to engage Vladimir Putin as soon as possible. The article does mention that Germany, too, is hurting from the sanctions, but it does not put too much emphasis on it. That would be a tad too insulting to the German chancellor, perhaps. At any rate, Frau Europa is now doing her best to pull the two unions together for the greater glory of both. And what could be a better match than that between the European and Eurasian Unions? Putin must be rubbing his hands with glee.