This was stated by German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock after talks with French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris, Ukrinform reports.

"Territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine are out of the question for us. Russia would pay a high political and, above all, economic price for the repeated violation of Ukrainian statehood", - she said.

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She also stressed that military escalation should be avoided by all means, as solutions can only be found through diplomatic means.

Jean-Yves Le Drian stressed the importance of intensifying work in the "Norman" format.

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Both countries are members of the "Norman" format for resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

"This format cannot be questioned, and Western participants consider it necessary to hold another ministerial meeting with Ukrainian and Russian colleagues as soon as possible to continue negotiations in late 2019 in Paris", - Le Drian said.

At the same time, the French diplomat noted the positive talks between the presidents of the United States and Russia, which took place recently. To de-escalate the situation, it is important to keep the channels for dialogue open, - he said.

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In addition, Le Drian recalled that a number of measures had been agreed in Paris, including confidence-building, disarmament, political measures, and the determination of the status of Donbass, which were partially implemented.

What is known

• The United States has no plans to impose harsh sanctions on the Russian Federation.
• The United States is planning talks with a number of NATO and Russian countries to discuss, among other things, further steps toward de-escalation.
• US Army General Mark Millie considers Russia's open aggression a threat to the security of the United States and NATO member states.
• Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said the United States was monitoring Russia's actions near Ukraine's borders. He called on Russia to abide by the Minsk agreements and be transparent about its actions.
• During his visit to South Korea, Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin said that any US response to the Russian Federation's actions in Ukraine would be carried out jointly with the international community.

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