When angela merkel took over as Germany's chancellor in 2005 Western leaders had high hopes that Russia would progress from semi-authoritarian regime to liberal democracy.
Four years earlier Vladimir Putin had declared in a speech in German to the Bundestag, "Russia is a friendly-minded European country."
四年前，弗拉基米尔·普京在德国联邦议院的一次演讲中宣称：“俄罗斯是一个思想友好的欧洲国家。”
The then chancellor, Gerhard Schroder, Mrs Merkel's predecessor, became so chummy with Mr Putin that shortly before leaving office he approved the construction of a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany crossing the Baltic Sea.
Russia provided 40% of Germany's gas. Germany was about to become Russia's largest trading partner.
俄罗斯提供了德国40%的天然气。德国即将成为俄罗斯最大的贸易伙伴。
Sixteen years later, each country's expectation of the other has failed to materialise.
16年后，两国对对方的期望都未能实现。
Germany had imagined a more liberal Russia; Russia had hoped that Germany wouldhelp convince Europe to treat Russia as an equal, and to create a free-trade zone from Lisbon to Vladivostok.
On August 20th Mrs Merkel will travel to Moscow during the last weeks of her chancellorship to say goodbye to a leader whom she has come to distrust deeply.
8月20日，在默克尔总理任期的最后几周，她将前往莫斯科，向一位她已经深深不信任的领导人告别。
Mr Putin will bid farewell to his most important interlocutor among Western leaders.
普京也将告别他在西方领导人中最重要的对话者。
The debacle in Afghanistan will be high on their list, as well as the nearly finished gas pipeline, which America's Congress fiercely opposes.
Now known as Nord Stream 2, it has become a stain on Mrs Merkel's legacy.
现在被称为“北溪2号”，它已经成为默克尔遗留政策的一个污点。
The chancellor is normally adept at balancing competing interests, but she utterly underestimated how much the pipeline, which she supported mainly to appease the business lobby and her Social Democratic coalition partners, would upset America and Ukraine.
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