German MP warns against new anti-Russian sanctions, arms supplies to Kiev

The discussions on introducing new anti-Russian sanctions and on weapons supplies to Ukraine hamper the effort to resolve the crisis in the country, German deputy from the Left-wing party Wolfgang Gerke said on Thursday.
"New sanctions against Russia, which the federal government and [Germany’s] Green have not ruled out, and also the continuing talks of weapons supplies to Ukraine do not contribute to the de-escalation of the conflict," the representative of the largest opposition force in Germany said.
Gerke said the "solution should be found together with Russia" and should not be aimed against Moscow.

Meanwhile, Gerke said he does not think that the February 12 agreements reached in Minsk on resolving the Ukrainian crisis have failed.
"Now they should be fulfilled step-by-step, and no new demands should be made," he said, referring to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s proposal on Wednesday on sending international peacekeepers to Ukraine.
Poroshenko also said the best option is sending an EU police mission.
Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council later approved the relevant request for the United Nations and the European Union to send peacekeepers to the Donbas conflict zone.
The speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, Sergey Naryshkin said earlier on Thursday that the plans of inviting peacekeepers to Ukraine could disrupt the Minsk agreements, which do not envisage such a measure.