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German Chancellor declares support of anti-Russia sanctions

Western countries should maintain the dialogue with Russia, Angela Merkel said

German Chancellor Angela Merkel EPA-EFE/RONALD WITTEK

German Chancellor Angela Merkel

© EPA-EFE/RONALD WITTEK

MUNICH, February 16. /TASS/. Germany supports sanctions against Russia, Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, adding that restrictive measures should be coordinated.

"We support sanctions against Russia. They should be coordinated (with Ukraine)," she said.

Western countries should maintain the dialogue with Russia, German Chancellor said, adding that it is necessary to observe the Russia-NATO Founding Act.

"As before, we are committed to the Russia-NATO Founding Act," she said, adding that "from the geostrategic viewpoint, Europe cannot be interested in breaking the relationship with Russia.".

Economic sanctions were imposed against Russia on July 31, 2014, after the crash of the Malaysian Boeing flight MH17 over Donbass. Since then, they have been extended every six months in unchanged form. In March 2015, the EU summit decided that sanctions could only be lifted after the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

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Top Turkish diplomat calls for listing anti-Syrian sanctions

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Oil supplies to Hungary via Druzhba pipeline resume — top Hungarian diplomat

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Baltic states threaten mass deportation of Russians, take lead in Russophobia — statement

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Putin calls Oreshnik missile development ‘an historic event’ for space rocket industry

Russian President also said that he had handed down direct instructions to produce and test-fire the Oreshnik hypersonic missile

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Prime minister underscored that, "the more serious the problems in Europe are, the more decisively the economic relations in all other markets should be promoted"

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Slovak PM thanks Putin in Russian for meeting with him

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Andrey Marochko noted that Russian forces had "slightly advanced" in the northern and southern parts of Chasov Yar

US Navy cruiser mistakenly downs F/A-18 fighter over Red Sea

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Trump nominates billionaire Feinberg as US Deputy Secretary of Defense

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Dmitry Peskov added that it is not planned to issue any joint statements

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Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also emphasized that Moscow is outraged by the hypocritical silence of the West and its media on the terrorist attacks in Russia

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Commander Makarov was killed in fighting to repel Ukrainian attack — ministry

Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov also informed of the death of the deputy commander of the army corps for military-political work, Colonel Yevgeny Brovko, who led the efforts of the personnel

Russian troops liberate two communities in Donbass area, Kharkov Region over past day

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Putin responds to question about Russia's weakness by quoting Mark Twain

The president noted that Russia had become much stronger over the past two or three years as it became a truly sovereign country

Syria’s new government wants to build strategic relations with Turkey

Ahmed al-Sharaa also said he will not "tolerate uncontrolled arms trafficking" across the country

Hungary wants to maintain ties with Russia under its economic neutrality policy — PM

Victor Orban also said that hopes for the development of economic cooperation with the United States after President-elect Donald Trump takes office

Serbia will never joint anti-Russian sanctions, deputy prime minister vows

Aleksandar Vulin noted that he is "not optimistic about prospects for the United States changing its policy toward Serbia" after the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump

Three of eight drones that attacked Kazan targeted defense industry facilities — head

The Tatarstan head Rustam Minnikhanov also noted that all operational services worked well when dealing with the aftermath of the drone attack

Israeli delegation discussing in Doha ways of reaching deal om Gaza — TV

The Al Arabiya television channel said that, citing a source

Putin to extend New Year greetings to peoples of several unfriendly countries — Kremlin

The Russian president will not congratulate leaders of unfriendly countries, but he will congratulate some individuals and people of several ones, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said

Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger reaffirm withdrawal from ECOWAS irreversible

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Strike on SBU control center response to Russian general’s assassination, expert says

The ministry clarified that Ukraine launched a missile strike against the Kamensky Integrated Plant in the Rostov Region using six US-made ATACMS missiles and four Storm Shadow cruise missiles

Magnitude 5.3 earthquake rocks South Africa

No injuries or damage were reported

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Russian leader said during the press conference that he is ready for a conversation with US president-elect and is ready to meet with him at any moment

Two freight trains collide at Trans-Baikal Railways, traffic suspended

Both freight trains loaded with coal collided at the Bushulei-Zhireken railway section

Russia to retaliate against Ukrainian strikes, just as Putin said — Kremlin

"Russia’s position is well known, it was voiced by Putin back in St. Petersburg," Dmitry Peskov stressed

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"We’d better wait for the meeting to end to learn what they discussed," he Dmitry Peskov said

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"It is not our business to forecast," he said

Assad allegedly hands list of military targets over to Israel before leaving Syria — media

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Project 885M nuclear-powered submarines carry Oniks and Kalibr-PL cruise missiles as their basic strike weapons

West should consider Putin's words on Oreshnik missile duel — diplomat

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized that the rhetoric about "inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia" is firmly rooted in the mentality of the NATO regimes not at all as hypothetical assumptions

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