Merkel to Discuss Ukraine Crisis in Washington Next Week


(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) Berlin April 26 - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will pay a visit to Washington on May 2 to hold talks with US President Barack Obama.

The United States and Europe's unified response to Russian intervention in Ukraine will be the dominant theme when the German Chancellor and President Obama meet in Washington next week the (dpa) news agency reported.

"They will continue their close coordination on sanctions that impose costs on Russia for its ongoing violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as for its failure to follow through on commitments made in Geneva on April 17" a White House spokeswoman said.

Obama and European leaders discussed tougher sanctions against Russia in a conference call Friday and reports quoting a US official said the US will issue new sanctions targeting entities and individuals in Russia on Monday.

Merkel said EU foreign ministers would meet soon to consider additional sanctions against Moscow.

Merkel's visit to the White House on May 2 will include talks on ways to support Ukraine as it works to stabilize its economy and prepare for presidential elections on May 25 the spokeswoman said.

Among other top-tier topics are the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership cooperating within NATO supporting democracy in Europe's east and meeting shared security and economic challenges around the globe according to the spokeswoman.

The trade proposal aims to boost economic growth in the US and Europe and add to the more than 13 million American and European jobs already supported by transatlantic trade and investment.

Merkel and Obama will also review the importance of focusing US economic policies on jobs amid a weak global recovery and reaffirm their G-20 commitment to policies that promote strong sustainable and balanced growth.

They will also discuss global challenges including climate change the humanitarian crisis in Syria and P5+1 negotiations with Iran.


Qatar News Agency

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.