Russian President Vladimir Putin is not in German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s good graces. Ms. Merkel said Thursday that he will not be invited to the next G-7 meeting, which she will host.
Ms. Merkel acknowledged that she could change her mind, but said “at this point” an invitation is off the table.
“The G-7 and former G-8 group has always viewed itself as a community of values. The annexation of Crimea, which is a blatant violation of the principles of international law, and the events in eastern Ukraine are serious violations of these common values,” Ms. Merkel told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, Reuters reported Thursday.
The next G-7 summit will take place in Bavaria in June.
“In spring we will discuss the question how to deal with the sanctions that we decided to impose after Russia’s annexation of Crimea,” the German Chancellor said, Reuters reported. “Given the current situation, they will remain in place.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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