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Former Chancellor of Germany says EU facilitated Ukrainian conflict

Gerhard Schroeder criticized the EU statement that “the Association Agreement is incompatible with the Customs Union agreement between Kiev and Moscow”

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder ITAR-TASS/Alexei Filippov

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder

© ITAR-TASS/Alexei Filippov

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EU scales down punitive plans against Russia

PARIS, March 04. /ITAR-TASS/. The European Union “only facilitated the conflict in Ukraine” when it announced that “the Association Agreement is incompatible with the Customs Union agreement between Kiev and Moscow”, said former Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schroeder in an interview with the radio station Europe-1.

Schroeder also criticized NATO, as “this alliance does not have a political purpose, and its actions do not help to build trust, but on the contrary, create more and more concerns”. Measures to solve the Ukrainian crisis “should be solely diplomatic”, he stressed.

Schroeder spoke against attempts to isolate Russia, particularly by rejecting to attend the G8 summit in Sochi. “In such critical conditions, any measures that block further discussions are wrong,” Schroeder noted.

When asked about whether Germany could take a tougher position on the issue, he emphasized that “boycotts should be used in a way that does not harm your own interests.”

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