SOCHI, May 15. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not raise the issue of sanctions abolishment at a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on May 18 in Sochi, as the Russian side did not initiate them, acting Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"The Russian president said many times about it: the issue of sanctions is not our issue, it is not the issue on our agenda, and the Russian side neither did, nor is going to raise the issue of these sanctions, all the more that, as you know, we consider them illegal in terms of international law," the acting Kremlin spokesman said, responding to the question on whether the sanctions abolishment may be discussed at the meeting between Putin and Merkel. "It was not Russia that introduced and initiated sanctions, and, thus, it is not Russia that should initiate these discussions," Peskov added.
He stressed that the Kremlin is waiting and preparing for the upcoming high-level Russian-German negotiations on May 18 and the Russian - French negotiations during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Russia on May 24-25. "These are very important negotiations with our European partners," Peskov concluded.