Russia isolating itself with its actions, German foreign minister says

[February 23, 2022]    BERLIN (Reuters) - The international community will not accept Russia's breach of international law and Moscow is isolating itself with its latest actions in Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Wednesday.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaks to the media before a meeting with European Union Foreign Ministers in Brussels, Belgium February 21, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman

"The action that is taking place now may follow a strategy in the short-term, but it is not a medium or long-term strategy to completely isolate yourself worldwide," Baerbock told a joint news conference in Berlin with her French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Baerbock said it was important to quickly coordinate a sanctions package against Russia with Germany's partners to show that Russia's actions were not acceptable, adding that the West should keep a window open for talks with Russia.

"Even in the toughest of crises, we must always keep the window for talks open. We want to prevent war together," Baerbock said.

(Reporting by Riham Alkousaa and Miranda Murray; Editing by Paul Carrel)

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