German foreign minister urges EU to use clear language toward Russia

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged the European Union needs
a common approach when it comes to deal with Russia but should never stop dialogue.

Maas made the remark on Thursday at a conference in Bratislava.

The minister said the EU should speak a very clear language when dealing with Russia in cases like the poisoning
of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny but never forget that Russia was needed to solve global crises.

“We need to be able to play hardball but at the same time we must never let dialogue be stopped,’’ according
to a translation into English. “We need Russia to solve the conflicts in Syria, in Libya, in the Ukraine.” (Reuters/NAN)