Steinmeier Calls For New Arms Deal With Russia To Avoid Accidental War
Germany's foreign minister is calling for a new arms control deal with Moscow as intensified military exercises by Russia and NATO have raised concerns that a war could inadvertently be triggered.
In an opinion piece in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper on August 26, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that while Russia has since 2014 violated the bonds of trust built up over decades as well as basic principles of peace, "we must all be united in the desire to avoid a further twist in the escalating spiral."
In 2014, Russia illegally seized Crimea from Ukraine and began backing separatists fighting Kyiv's forces in eastern Ukraine.
A new arms control process would offer a "proven means for transparency, risk avoidance, and trust building," he said.
"We want a structured dialogue with all partners who carry responsibility for the security of our continent," perhaps working through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe [OSCE], he said.
His comments follow an appeal by former NATO foreign and defense ministers on August 24 for an agreement with Russia on rules for handling unexpected military encounters.
Steinmeier drew some criticism in June for calling NATO's recent military exercises and moves to bolster forces in eastern Europe "saber-rattling and shrill war cries" that could worsen tensions with Russia.
With reporting by Reuters
* This story has been amended to include a reference to the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
Here's another item from our news desk:
Moscow Court Prolongs House Arrest Of Ukrainian Library Director
A court in Moscow has prolonged the house arrest of Natalya Sharina, the director of the Ukrainian Literature Library, who is facing charges of extremism and embezzlement.
The court ruled on August 26 that Sharina's house arrest would be prolonged until October 28.
On August 15, the Moscow prosecutor's office refused to indict Sharina and returned the case to investigators without giving any reasons.
Sharina was detained last October and charged with inciting extremism and ethnic hatred because her library's collection allegedly included books by Ukrainian ultranationalist and author Dmytro Korchynskiy, whose works are banned in Russia.
She was placed under house arrest.
In April, investigators charged Sharina with misallocating library funds, allegedly because she used library funds to pay for her legal defense in another extremism case against her that was dismissed in 2013.
Her lawyer said the authorities had "trumped up" new charges after realizing their initial case against his client was too weak.
Sharina has rejected all the allegations, saying they are politically motivated.