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German Parties Offer Russia No Respite on Sanctions Over Ukraine

  • Coalition draft says EU measures remain linked to Minsk accord
  • Eastern German leaders push for easing, say sanctions harmful
Graffiti showing Vladimir Putin on the side of a building in Sevastopol, Crimea, in 2017. 

Graffiti showing Vladimir Putin on the side of a building in Sevastopol, Crimea, in 2017. 

Photographer: Misha Friedman/Bloomberg

German party negotiators are giving no sign of easing sanctions on Russia as they seek to forge Chancellor Angela Merkel’s next government.

Merkel’s Christian Democratic-led bloc and the Social Democratic Party agree that European Union sanctions targeting the Kremlin should remain linked to the three-year-old Minsk accord aimed at resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine, according to a draft coalition pact.