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Donbass truce first step towards lifting anti-Russian sanctions — German top diplomat

According to the German top diplomat, the EU should take serious steps on lifting sanctions against Russia after establishing the ceasefire in Donbass,

German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz

German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel

© AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz

BERLIN, September 19. /TASS/. The EU should take serious steps on lifting sanctions against Russia after establishing the ceasefire in Donbass, German top diplomat Sigmar Gabriel announced in his interview with the newspaper Volksstimme.

Read also

Germany backs initiative to deploy UN peacekeepers to Donbass

"It’s unrealistic to think that first the Minsk Agreements must be implemented before the removal of sanctions," the diplomat noted. "And the first major step to the restrictions being removed must be connected with the establishment of a real ceasefire in Donbass," he added.

"We need to restart the policy of detente with Russia," the German foreign minister announced. "The Russians opened the door slightly, so we shouldn’t slam it shut immediately, on the contrary we should try to fling the door open even wider," Gabriel pointed out.

According to him, "with the establishment of a real ceasefire not only should part of the sanctions be lifted, but the restoration of Donbass must start."

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