German Chancellor Angela Merkel intends to continue the talks on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis with Russian President Vladimir Putin despite the sanctions imposed on Moscow, Germany’s Deutsche Welle reported, citing local media.
“I’m trying not to lose track of the dialogue with the Russian president, despite the sanctions,” Merkel told German-language newspaper Sächsische Zeitung, RIA Novosti reported. The chancellor stressed that she had always been an advocate of meaningful cooperation and was going to continue sticking to this approach.
Additionally, Merkel said she does not recognize Russia’s policy toward Ukraine. “The compliance of the states’ territorial integrity and the impossibility of changing the border lines unilaterally is the key European accord,” Merkel claimed, noting that Crimea’s reunification with Russia breaches this principle.
The chancellor believes Ukraine must have an opportunity to make decisions concerning its constitution, politics and the degree of its eastern regions’ autonomy freely. “Russia must admit it,” Merkel concluded.
