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Former German Chancellor accuses Kiev of war against Donbass

According to Schroeder, Western countries do not exert enough pressure on the Ukrainian authorities
Gerhard Schroeder Sergey Konkov/TASS
Gerhard Schroeder
© Sergey Konkov/TASS

BERLIN, November 15. /TASS/. Ukraine’s government is waging war against Donbass, ex-German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said in an interview with Die Zeit weekly newspaper on Wednesday.

The politician, who was Germany’s Chancellor in 1998 -2005, also criticized the sanctions policy against Moscow.

"I’m against the sanctions policy. As when there is progress, for example, in withdrawing weapons from Donbass, it turns out that there are talks not on easing but on extending and even toughening the sanctions," Schroeder stressed.

According to Schroeder, Western countries do not exert enough pressure on the Ukrainian authorities. "Who is putting pressure on Kiev? Kiev is doing too little," he said. "Kiev is waging war against Donbass and cutting people off electricity."

The former German Chancellor also said that the widespread opinion among Western politicians about Moscow’s aggressive foreign policy is a myth. "The idea that Russians have plans for the Baltic states or even Poland is absurd," he said.

"Russians are our neighbors. We are interested in their market and their energy resources. We need them in terms of politics, if we turn to the Middle East, Central Asia, the Iranian nuclear program and the Caucasus region," Schroeder said.