The participation of EU representatives in various negotiation formats with Russia is very important for Europe, and it is necessary to avoid escalation regarding the Ukraine crisis, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on the sidelines of a meeting with her EU counterparts in Brest, France, on Friday, confirming that she will visit Moscow next week, Tass reports.
"Personally, it is very important to me that we intensively use the different channels of conversation," she said. "That’s why I’m also traveling to Moscow next week to hold talks at all the different levels."
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing Thursday that Sergey Lavrov, the nation’s top diplomat, would hold the first face-to-face meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Moscow on January 18, with the ministers discussing, among other things, the promotion of Russian initiatives on security guarantees.
The German top diplomat said that at the informal meeting with her European counterparts "there were intense debates" about the Ukraine dilemma. "Diplomacy, especially in times of crisis, is characterized by the fact that it requires a lot of perseverance, a lot of patience, and strong nerves," she said, commenting on contacts with Russia through NATO and OSCE.