Obama and Merkel: sanctions against Russia will not be lifted

US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a joint statement that sanctions against Russia should remain in force until the Minsk ceasefire agreements are implemented.

“The two leaders discussed the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and agreed that the duration of the sanctions should be clearly linked to Russia’s full implementation of the Minsk agreements and respect for the sovereignty of Ukraine,” the White House said in a statement issued after the meeting between Barack Obama and Angela Merkel at the G7 summit in the Bavarian Alpine resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Even before the scheduled meetings began, Obama said that one of the main topics of the summit would be “confronting Russian aggression in Ukraine.”

“Over the next two days, we intend to discuss our common future at Elmau Castle, a global economy that creates jobs and new opportunities, maintaining the strength and prosperity of the European Union, expanding transatlantic trade cooperation, countering Russian aggression in Ukraine, countering threats ranging from extremism and to climate change,” Obama said.

Russia, after the annexation of Crimea, was suspended from participation in the summit, which was previously called the G8. In addition, the West accuses Russia of sending troops to support the self-proclaimed “people's republics” in eastern Ukraine. The Russian side denies these accusations, calling all these people volunteers.

The next term of the economic sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia, expires in July. However, the chairman of the European Council, Donald Tusk, stated at the summit that the only discussion about sanctions against Russia could be reduced to whether they should be tightened, and there are no grounds for lifting restrictive measures.

In March, EU leaders agreed among themselves that sectoral restrictions on the Russian economy would not be lifted until the provisions of the Minsk agreements were fully implemented.

Meanwhile, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States expect to conclude an agreement on the support of the EU member countries most affected by the sanctions.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said he hoped there would be unanimous support for the sanctions, even though they "affect us all."

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, speaking on Sunday's BBC television program The Andrew Marr Show, confirmed concerns about Russia's growing military pressure in eastern Ukraine.

Russian President, published in Saturday interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, ruled out the possibility of an armed conflict between Moscow and NATO.

“The world has changed so much that people in their right mind cannot imagine such a large-scale military conflict today,” he said.

Sausages and beer

US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on the eve of the summit, met in the town of Krün and discussed the main topics of future negotiations.

After that, they tasted traditional Bavarian sausages with beer.

Traditionally, meetings of this level are besieged by thousands of protesters. The protests began in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where the summit meetings will take place.

As a result of clashes with the police, several demonstrators were sent to the hospital with injuries. However, the injuries were minor, and the scale of the protests was more modest than during previous summits.

To maintain order, 17 of thousands of police officers were sent to the Bavarian Alps.

Greece, Ebola, IG

The summit will also be attended by French President Francois Hollande, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Japan Shinzo Abe, Italy Matteo Renzi, Canada Stephen Harper.

One of the key themes of the summit will be the Greek debt crisis.

In addition, summit participants will talk about global warming and the fight against Ebola.

Angela Merkel proposed to discuss the reform of the World Health Organization, including the creation of a pool of specialists and material resources for rapid deployment in case of regional outbreaks of dangerous diseases. In her opinion, WHO is poorly prepared for such crises.

On Monday, the summit is scheduled to discuss threats from militant radicalism, in particular the Islamic State and Boko Haram movements, for which the leaders of Iraq, Nigeria and Tunisia will arrive in Bavaria on Monday.