23:30, 19.02.21 – UNIAN
Tough agenda is needed on Russia within the Trans-Atlantic community, the Chancellor stressed.
One of the challenges the Trans-Atlantic community has to address is its relationship with Russia, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel said, addressing this year’s virtual Munich Security Conference.
“When it comes to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, we have not really made any progress in this regard. The Minsk process is a diplomatic instrument that can be used but it has not been successful,” Merkel said.
“Russia has repeatedly caused hybrid conflicts,” the Chancellor added.
“So we need tough agenda on Russia, joint agenda. We must offer cooperation on the one hand and on the other hand we must be clear about the differences we have,” Merkel said, adding that she agrees with U.S. President Joe Biden who said that the European Union must remain strong.
Minsk agreements: Background
After Russia has effectively occupied Crimea and parts of Donbas, the EU imposed economic sanctions on the aggressor state.
On February 12, 2015, Minsk hosted negotiations on resolving the crisis in Donbas with the participation of the then Presidents of Ukraine and France – Petro Poroshenko and Francois Hollande, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As a result of the negotiations, a set of measures was approved aimed at the implementation of Minsk Agreements sealed in September 2014. This package of measures was signed by the members of the Trilateral Contact Group on Donbas settlement (Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE).
Among other things, the agreements reached by the Normandy Four provide for a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and the withdrawal of all heavy weapons from Ukrainian territory. The exchange and release of all hostages and the holding of local elections in Donbas have been laid down.
In March 2015, the EU tied the issue of easing Russia sanctions to progress in the implementation of Minsk Agreements by the Russian side.
“…We must offer cooperation on the one hand and on the other hand we must be clear about the differences we have,”
This is the problem with living the fallacy that Putin is even remotely interested in knowing you have any differences with him. Look at him! He’s a little KGB zit that loves attention. Any attention. Has he given one inch on anything in 20 years? Then why do we expect to change anything if we keep doing what we’ve done for 20 years? This situation is why God made bullets.
You won’t be doing anything you Stasi skank. You could have canceled Nordstream 2 long ago.
Good point. It looks like she’s desperate to get her boss’s gas pipe open so she needs to act tough on him and make a few promises that will resemble window dressing.
She only has months left as Chancellor, she will be leaving all this shit to someone else to sort out, unless it’s another Russian appeaser that gets elected.
It will be a miracle if whoever gets the job is NOT a putler jackboot licker.