Merkel explained why she wouldn't call Putin to the G7 summit

In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated that Western sanctions against Russia in connection with its role in the conflict in eastern Ukraine will continue as long as there are reasons for which they were introduced.

Merkel called Russia's annexation of Crimea in March this year a gross violation of the principles of international law and suggested that if the current situation continues, Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to be invited to the June G7 summit in Bavaria.

“The G7, and previously the G8, have always viewed themselves as a community united by common values,” Merkel said in an interview.

The annexation of the Crimea and the conflict in the east of Ukraine are not a manifestation of such values, the chancellor stressed.

The West accuses Russia of providing military assistance to the separatists in the east of Ukraine and of direct military participation in the conflict in the Donbas. The Russian authorities deny these allegations.

Merkel and Obama discuss fighting for the airport

The Ukrainian crisis has become the main topic of a telephone conversation between Angela and Merkel and US President Barack Obama, which took place on Thursday evening.

Merkel and Obama discussed the aggravation of the situation in the Donbass, where the fighting for the Donetsk airport, which is a strategically important target for the warring parties, continued with new force.

They also expressed support for large-scale international financial assistance to Kiev, noting the need for reforms in Ukraine.

Angela Merkel and Barack Obama reiterated that the parties to the conflict in the east of Ukraine should follow the peace agreements reached last September in Minsk.

The agreement between the Ukrainian authorities and representatives of the pro-Russian separatists, who control part of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, was signed in Minsk in early September with the participation of representatives of Russia and the OSCE.

The Minsk Memorandum consists of 12 points and implies, in particular, a bilateral cease-fire, holding local elections in accordance with the law of Ukraine, withdrawing illegal armed groups from the Ukrainian territory, and freeing hostages.

Parties to the conflict periodically accuse each other of disrupting these agreements.

"They will be preserved"

Earlier, Merkel admitted that the sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russia could be lifted subject to the implementation of the Minsk agreements and with progress in resolving the crisis that lasted from last spring.

“In the spring, we will once again discuss how to deal with the sanctions that we decided to apply after the annexation of Crimea. Judging by the current situation, they will continue,” Merkel said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

On Thursday, US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron in a joint article in the Times promised to keep up the pressure on Russia with the aim of “diplomatically resolving” the crisis in Ukraine, declaring its readiness to resist “Russian aggression in Ukraine,” writes BBC News.