BERLIN, Jan 21, Reuters -- German Economics Minister Robert Habeck wants to involve Russia economically by cooperating on renewable energy supplies in order to help de-escalate tensions over Ukraine, according to an interview published on Friday.
Habeck, who is also a vice-chancellor, said that we should think about new business areas that can lead both sides out of this confrontational position.
The top Russian and American diplomats are expected to meet in Switzerland on Friday to discuss heightened tensions over Ukraine after a flurry of meetings between officials on both sides in the last week.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for Russia to step back from escalating the situation, warning it of a range of sanctions if it acts aggressively.
Germany is ready to defend fundamental values in the stand-off, even if this means paying a high economic price, Baerbock said in Moscow a day earlier.
On the possibility that Russia might be excluded from the Swift international payments system, Habeck, a member of the Greens, said there was no point in enumerating sanctions in the abstract but he said it was the ultimate economic sanction and that his goal was de-escalation.