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Pristina (AP) - Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) has warned the Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) against being instrumentalized by the Russian government during his visit to Moscow.
He hoped that Kretschmer, in his talks with the Russian leadership, would address the deployment of troops on the border with Ukraine and the imprisonment of Russian oppositionist Alexej Navalny, "and not allow himself to be exploited," said Maas on Thursday during his Balkan trip to Kosovo.
"If that's the case, I have no problem with his trip, otherwise I have."
The Saxon head of government rejected the allegation.
Kretschmer said at a press conference that he had enough “colleagues in the German Bundestag” to support him.
He explicitly mentioned the Greens MP Omid Nouripour, who had recently accused Russia of “targeted torture” of the Kremlin opponent Navalny.
At the same time, the Saxon head of government again spoke out in favor of reducing sanctions against Russia.
The condition for this is that there is movement in the Ukraine conflict.
"The Minsk Agreement is a guideline for this," he said.
The peace plan negotiated in 2015 under Franco-German mediation is on hold.
The CDU politician had repeatedly spoken out in favor of lifting the punitive measures and had also received criticism for it.
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During his trip to Moscow, Kretschmer met with the Russian Minister of Health Michail Muraschko and spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin then announced that the conversation with Putin dealt with the fight against the corona pandemic, the Ukraine conflict and Navalny's situation.
Maas once again called on Russia to ensure adequate medical care for Navalny while in custody and to allow doctors he trusts access to him.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210422-99-314684 / 2