Germany's Maas: No longer any way around EU sanctions against Russia in Navalny case

The European Union must give a clear response towards Russia by imposing sanctions following the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny with an internationally banned nerve agent, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Saturday.

"I am convinced that there will be no longer any way around sanctions," Maas told news portal t-online in an interview.

"Sanctions must always be targeted and proportionate. But such a grave violation of the International Chemical Weapons Convention cannot be left unanswered. On this, we're united in Europe," Maas added.

Germany currently holds the rotating presidency of the 27-member bloc.