German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Sat Dec 20, 2014 2:22PM GMT
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German
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says he opposes the European
Union’s tougher sanctions on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine.
Steinmeier made the comments on Friday in an interview with the German weekly, Der Spiegel magazine.
“Those who want Russia to kneel down by undermining its economy are seriously mistaken if they think that it will bolster security in Europe,” said Steinmeier adding, “I can only warn against it.”
The German minister said he is against further escalation of sanctions against Moscow.
“It is not in our interests so that the situation could come totally out of control,” said Steinmeier, adding, “We should consider it in our policy of sanctions.”
The remarks by Steinmeier echoed similar comments made recently by European leaders, including French President Francois Hollande, Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. The European leaders have expressed their opposition to any further financial pressure on Russia.
The West accuses Moscow of having a hand in the crisis in eastern Ukraine, which erupted when Kiev launched military operations in April to silence pro-Russia protests there. However, the Kremlin denies the accusation.
The EU along with other Western government have in recent months imposed sanctions on Russia, including on its financial and energy sectors, and put a number of Russian nationals close to President Vladimir Putin on a sanctions list.
In a tit-for-tat measure, Moscow imposed year-long food bans on the United States, the European Union, Australia, Canada and Norway in August. The move is estimated to cost European agricultural industries millions of dollars in damages.
CAH/HJL/SS
