ECONOMIC SANCTIONS
Angela Merkel keeps grip on Russia
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande back more sanctions against Russia over Ukraine
Berlin — German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande backed extending economic sanctions against Russia, citing a lack of progress on ending the impasse over eastern Ukraine. As president-elect Donald Trump proposes Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson for US secretary of state, the push by the EU’s two biggest economies to keep EU penalties on Russia for another six months signals a divergence. Tillerson has questioned whether sanctions work. "It will be necessary to extend sanctions on Russia once again," Merkel told reporters on Tuesday, standing alongside Hollande as they met for talks in Berlin. Progress on 2015’s Minsk peace plan for eastern Ukraine has been slow and "we would have wished that we were further along in implementing this process", she said. Leaders of the 28 EU governments, meeting on Thursday in Brussels, are expected to approve extending the sanctions, which expire on January 31. The measures, which target Russia’s finance, energy and defen...
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