France and Germany Saturday threatened Russia with "consequences" if Moscow disrupts Ukrainian presidential elections later this month, stepping up diplomatic pressure on the eve of "illegal" referendums the West fears will split the country apart.

In a joint statement, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also urged Ukraine's security forces to stop their offensive on rebel-held positions in the run-up to the planned May 25 presidential part.

Germany's Angela Merkel welcomed French President Francois Hollande to a picturesque Baltic coastal town Friday for talks meant to strengthen the personal chemistry between the two leaders at the heart of Europe.

Braving a slight drizzle, Merkel greeted Hollande in the seaside resort of Sassnitz, saying that getting to know each others' homes, "in view of the many problems we have to discuss, is a good thing."

Germany's Angela Merkel from Friday will host French President Francois Hollande in a picturesque Baltic coastal town for informal talks meant to strengthen the personal chemistry between the two European leaders.

A range of pressing issues -- including the tense standoff with Moscow over Ukraine, European elections in two weeks and a possible major trans-border corporate deal -- will be on the agenda of the two-day visit starting 1400 GMT on what is the EU's official "Europe Day".

Germany is the European Union's worst polluter, with its production of CO2 gasses from fossil fuel rising by two percent in 2013 to 760 million tonnes, official data showed on Wednesday.

The EU's statistics agency Eurostat found that while emissions were cut across the 28-member bloc by an average of 2.5 percent in 2013, they actually went up in six countries, including Germany.

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil warned on Tuesday that direct assistance to Syrian refugees in Lebanon would contribute to their stay in Lebanon, suggesting aid to the Lebanese government instead.

During a press conference with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin, Bassil said: “The number of displaced Syrians has exceeded the logic.”

U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted Friday that differences remained in a damaging row over U.S. spying which has strained their personal and diplomatic relationship.

Merkel on Friday made her first visit to the White House since revelations broke last year about National Security Agency (NSA) spies eavesdropping on her mobile phone, as well as about wider U.S. surveillance programs.

The United States and Germany delivered a firm warning to Russia on Friday that it would face direct and painful economic sanctions if Ukrainian elections later this month are disrupted.

U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivered the statement after talks at the White House appeared to bring the prospect of "sectoral" economic sanctions closer than ever before.

German lawmakers fumed Friday over "vicious" criticism by senior U.S. senators of Chancellor Angela Merkel's stance on Ukraine ahead of talks she will hold with U.S. President Barack Obama.

John McCain, a former Republican candidate for the White House, on Thursday accused Merkel of standing in the way of firmer measures against Russia over its actions in Ukraine due to Berlin's lucrative business ties with Moscow.

The German foreign ministry said it summoned the Egyptian ambassador Tuesday to urge the lifting of 683 death sentences handed down by an Egyptian court to suspected Islamists.

The ministry said its Middle East coordinator Volkmar Wenzel had made the "urgent appeal" to Ambassador Mohamed Higazy for the justice authorities to reverse Monday's decision "and allow the affected people to have a fair trial."

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday rejected criticism from Germany's president who said he was "scared" by the Turkey's recent spate of rights abuses. 

"I think he still thinks of himself as pastor," Erdogan told parliament, a day after he met with German President Joachim Gauck who is on a four-day visit to Turkey.