German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that it is too early to talk about lifting sanctions against Russia, as many steps still need to be taken to settle the Ukrainian conflict
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd October, 2019) German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that it is too early to talk about lifting sanctions against Russia, as many steps still need to be taken to settle the Ukrainian conflict.The Contact Group on Ukraine agreed on Tuesday the "Steinmeier formula," which stipulates that the parties involved should hold free and fair local elections in Donbas under Ukrainian law. In exchange, the region should receive a special self-governance status.
"As for Ukraine, we have made progress, but many more steps are to follow. This is what we can say now, but we cannot say that we are ready to lift the sanctions," Merkel said at a press conference in Berlin, commenting on the outcome of the Contact Group on Ukraine meeting in the Belarusian capital of Minsk.
