NATO Secretary General for maintaining sanctions against Russia

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the European Union should maintain sanctions against Russia in the wake of the Ukraine crisis. “In my opinion, economic sanctions against Russia should not be lifted until it changes its behavior, I believe that in this case there should be broad agreement on the part of the EU,” he said.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the EU should phase out sanctions against Russia if there is significant progress in the peace process, and if Moscow shows that it is doing what is due for it when it comes to implementing the Minsk Peace Plan for Ukraine. Also, the head of the German SPD and vice-chancellor in the government of Angela Merkel, Sigmar Gabriel, once again advocated the gradual lifting of sanctions against Russia, provided that Moscow will also gradually implement the Minsk agreements.

Instead of "constantly discussing new weapons," NATO and the US should adopt a new disarmament initiative, Gabriel said. In his opinion, the model of politics towards the East should be the same as that was carried out at the turn of the 60s and 70s by the then Social Democrat Chancellor Willie Brandt.