Germany says the Minsk Agreements are “no longer worth anything” and accuses Putin of lying about Ukraine

BERLIN, Feb. 23 (DPA/EP) –

The German Foreign Minister, Annaleba Baerbock, lamented this Wednesday that the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, “has unilaterally destroyed” the Minsk Agreements, which are “no longer worth anything”, and has accused him of lying about the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.

“If you said ‘A’ a week ago and now you do the opposite, then you have not told the truth. Or said clearly: you have lied,” Baerbock said after meeting in Berlin with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian.

In turn, he has considered that Putin has decided to act completely against International Law, without taking it into account. “The international community will not accept this violation of International Law,” he considered.

In this sense, he stressed that the European Union (EU) has responded quickly, united and coordinated with the package of sanctions, “making it clear to Putin how unacceptable the situation is.” From there, as he has pointed out, other measures could be adopted.”All harsh measures will be taken, if necessary,” he has clarified.

Despite the accusation, he has remained firm in his commitment to negotiate a de-escalation. “Even in the toughest crises, we must always keep the window open for talks. We want to avoid war,” he asserted.

The European Union will apply from this afternoon the sanctions agreed by the Twenty-seven in response to the Russian recognition of the separatist regions of Ukraine.