1 December 2016, 14:25 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Thursday the talks on humanitarian pauses in Syria's embattled city of Aleppo must continue while new sanctions should not be imposed as they would only complicate the resolution of the humanitarian crisis in the area.
"We must attempt, despite the difficult situation in Aleppo, despite the continuing military standoff, to achieve agreements with our complicated partners such as Qatar, Turkey, Russia on establishing humanitarian pauses…," Steimeier said during the presentation of his new book in Berlin.
"I can't see how the [new] sanctions at this time would lead us to the situation where we could alleviate the suffering of people there," the minister stressed.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest earlier said that Washington was discussing with allies in Europe and the countries of the region the possibility of new sanctions against Russia over the situation in Syria.
