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Heiko Maas: "The relationship is very bad"
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / AFP
Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny has been in custody for more than 100 days after his return from Germany. Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has now spoken out against tougher sanctions against Russia. One has to ask whether tougher measures would improve Navalny's situation, Maas said on the ARD program »Report from Berlin«. “Will they say in Moscow: 'Thank you very much for imposing even tougher sanctions?' I believe the opposite will be the case. ”Before that, Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock had pleaded for a tough course against Russia.
After Nawalny's poisoning and after his arrest, with sanctions then imposed, the EU had already made very clear use of its instruments, said Maas.
The US had threatened Russia with consequences if Navalny died.
"I believe that President Putin knows very well what to expect when it comes to that," said Maas.
The EU sanctions against Russia due to the conflict in eastern Ukraine will also remain in place as long as there is no solution there.
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Maas welcomes the first rapprochement between the USA and Russia
But nobody could have an interest in provocations turning into serious arguments at some point.
"The relationship is very bad," admitted Maas.
"But it shouldn't stay that way." He was happy that the government in Moscow had apparently accepted US President Joe Biden's offer to talk.
Both sides would apparently exchange ideas about a time and a meeting point for a US-Russian summit, said Maas.
For months the European Union has been calling for the release of the opposition activist, who returned to Moscow after recovering from a poison attack and was sentenced to camp imprisonment.
There he went on a hunger strike to protest inadequate medical treatment.
The federal government had also asked Russia to provide Navalny with adequate supplies.
ime / Reuters / dpa
