19 May 2020
RUSSIA STEPS UP DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS AS KREMLIN AIDE KOZAK VISITS BERLIN Slowly but steadily, the world is recovering from the hardest blow from the coronavirus – and so are influential actors worldwide that are becoming more active than ever. Russia, which is seemingly fighting an uphill battle to either relax or lift sanctions, is yet again tightening its anti-U.S. narrative while seeking friendly ties with Germany. Of course, these touch upon some energy-related issues, like the Nord Stream 2 ongoing conundrum, as well as the Donbas conflict. The latter must have been high on the agenda of Kozak’s surprising trip to Berlin. Putin’s new aide on Ukraine met with Germany’s Angela Merkel a day after she conducted a phone call with Ukraine’s prime minister. Furthermore, even though German has hard evidence Russian military intelligence services staged a 2015 hacking attack on the German parliament’s internal computer system, Merkel pledged to build a better relationship with Moscow. It seems that Russian hacking attacks did not prompt Germany to draw any conclusions that could pose a threat to Russia – just like Berlin did not respond after the killing of a Chechen refugee in Berlin last August.
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n May 13, Angela Merkel answered on May 13, where he met with Angela Merkel questions of members at the Bundestag, to discuss the settlement of the conflict in the lower house of the German parliament. Ukraine’s Donbas. Russians say the unexpected Germany has “hard evidence” that “Russian visit took place at the German side’s initiative services” were behind a 2015 hacking attack while Merkel required holding a face-to-face in which the chancellor’s emails and other talk with Kozak. Interestingly, Kozak was added documents were compromised. German to the European Union sanctions list. Russia’s prosecutors issued an international arrest former deputy prime minister is now Putin’s warrant against a Russian hacker and a GRU top aide on Ukraine. He displaced the Kremlin officer named as Dmitri Badin. He is already advisor Vladislav Surkov from his long-time role on the FBI’s wanted list. “I take it very seriously,” on policy toward Ukraine. Though no details Merkel said. “On the one hand I make an effort were given, the chief of the Russian president’s on a daily basis to have a better relationship administration said “agreements were reached with Russia,” she added. As it later turned out, on further mutual steps towards a peaceful the German chancellor received a Kremlin aide settlement of the conflict” and the talks will for talks. Dmitry Kozak, deputy head of Putin’s “give an extra impetus to the talks both in the administration, made a quick visit to Germany Normandy format and within the Trilateral
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