OREANDA-NEWS. Petro Poroshenko, the current President of Ukraine, who had recently lost an election, in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel called her to support the strengthening of sanctions against the Russian Federation because of Moscow’s decision to simplify obtaining Russian citizenship by residents of Donbass republics.

The press service of the President said that “Petro Poroshenko called on Berlin to support the strengthening of sanctions against Moscow in response to the so-called passport decrees (of Russian President Vladimir Putin. – Ed.).”

According to the press service, Merkel assured that Ukraine would remain at the center of attention of both the European Union and Federal Republic of Germany. “The German Chancellor expressed the hope that the new authorities of Ukraine will adhere to the principle of continuity in foreign policy, primarily with regard to the EU and the development of the Ukrainian-German strategic partnership,” the press service report says.

The leaders of Ukraine and Germany also discussed the consideration of the liberation of 24 Ukrainian seamen who were detained by Russia for illegal crossing the border in United Nations International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. The report says that the politicians paid special attention to “further increasing pressure on Moscow to speed up the liberation” of Ukrainians.

During the conversation of Poroshenko and Merkel, it was noted that for the previous 5 years the partnership of Ukraine and Germany had reached a “strategic level”.