Germany Warns Wrecking Russian Economy Would Be Perilous

Germany wants to avoid wrecking Russia’s economy with sanctions imposed in the conflict over Ukraine, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.

The economic measures are taking a toll on Russia, so the European Union doesn’t need to intensify them, Steinmeier said in a speech today in Berlin. Instead, Germany must take the lead in negotiations aimed at defusing the eight-month conflict on Europe’s eastern periphery, he said.