Germany sees no new EU sanctions on Russia for now

Germany does not envision EU sanctions against Russia over its conflict with Ukraine as long as de-escalation efforts continue, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Friday.

"At this time I believe it would be wrong to talk about new sanctions, because efforts are being made to reduce tensions," he told a briefing after meeting his counterpart in Lisbon.

"From the German side, there will be no proposal for new sanctions," he added. "I don't see a consensus in the EU for new sanctions."