Putin drops by in middle Europe

Vladimir Putin made his trip to Austria and Germany on Saturday.

The optics of Putin's appearance at the wedding of Austria's Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl. From a pro-EU standpoint, the optics were pretty bad. (Melissa Eddy, The Bride Was a Dream in a Dirndl, but Putin Stole the Show New York Times 08/18/2018)

The Russian state channel RT ran this report on the event. It includes Kneissl dancing with Putin. With Kneissel bowing and kneeling to him at the end, Putin dances, speaks German at Austrian FM’s wedding 08/18/2018)

If Chancellor Sebastian "Babyface" Kurz' government wanted to send a message that they are copying the deferential posture Trump took toward Putin in Helsinki this summer, I think they succeeded.

Vice Chancellor Hans-Christian Strache seemed to be pleased to be part of the event.

Wie "parteifrei" ist die Außenministerin wohl, wenn sie zu ihrer "privaten" Hochzeitsfeier Deutschnationale und Volkshetzer mit Nähe zum NS-Gedankengut einlädt, die kein normaler Mensch auch nur in seiner Nähe haben will und schon gar nicht auf seiner Hochzeit? pic.twitter.com/C6QLZn2lOm

— FPÖ Fails (@fpoefails) August 19, 2018

Strache is the head of the junior partner in Chancellor Babyface's governing coalition, the Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ), which has a formal "working agreement" with Putin's Russia United party.

Kurz claims he got to chat with the Russian President about various issues, including Syria and Ukraine. (Kanzler Kurz sprach mit Putin über "Krisenherde" Die Presse 19.08.2018)

Putin flew on to Germany to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (Melissa Eddy, Merkel and Putin Sound Pragmatic Notes After Years of Tension New York Times 08/18/2018)

That meeting was a more normal one by diplomatic standards and almost certainly more productive. Eddy notes that Syria is a major issue on which Germany and Russia can find common ground:

Both leaders could benefit from finding a way to ensure sufficient political stability in Syria to allow Germany to begin encouraging refugees to return, while Mr. Putin is seeking support from Berlin and the European Union to help rebuild the country, said Stefan Meister of the German Council on Foreign Relations.

“It is in the domestic political interest of the German government that Syrian refugees be able to return to a stable Syria,” Mr. Meister said.