German Defense Minister: Russia should be pressured by sanctions until it fulfills promises made at Minsk
Deutsche Welle reports that German Defense Minister Ursula Von der Leyen called for a tougher line against Moscow during an interview with Bild am Sonntag published on Sunday, April 22. "President Putin doesn’t appreciate weakness," she said.
According to the Minister, by means of sanctions it is necessary "to insist on Russia’s fulfillment of the promises made at Minsk" until the situation is mitigated.
Von der Leyen believes that improvements in relations with Russia are hampered by a number of factors, including the annexation of the Crimea, Russian involvement in the deterioration of the situation in eastern Ukraine, the destruction of Syrian Aleppo as a result of the Russian air force bombing, and protection of the Assad regime.
Von der Leyen believes that “the key issue" is that the Kremlin needs “an image of an enemy”, while the Western countries do not need it. In such a situation, it is important to keep readiness for a dialogue with Moscow "from a position of unity and strength," the Minister believes.
The European Union also needs to "change the decision-making mechanism," particularly for foreign policy issues, says Von der Leyen. Now, a decision is required by all 28 EU member states. However, the global situation sometimes requires a quick reaction, the Minister noted, so we must raise the question of whether the European Union can take decisions by a simple majority.