Not a partner, but a freebie

Germany transferred Russia from partners to rivals. According to Die Welt, such a definition is contained in the new edition of the White Book - a document on the country's security strategy.

The previous edition of the document was adopted in 2006. Work on his new version, the newspaper writes, the Ministry of Defense of Germany will complete in the near future. After that, the text will be transferred to the government approval.

As stated in the document, the annexation of Crimea and the aggression of Russia in the east of Ukraine, as well as the fundamental readiness of Moscow by violently ensure their interests, call into question the world order that developed after the Cold War. Particularly concerned in Berlin is expressed in connection with the use of hybrid methods of struggle for erosion of the border between the war and the world and undermining of other states.

"Without a fundamental change in the course, Russia is a challenge to our continent in the foreseeable future," the White Book notes.

As Deutsche Welle reported , on Friday German Chancellor Angela Merkel once again emphasized that the lifting of sanctions from Russia is possible only if Moscow is fulfilling its obligations under the Minsk agreements. "I am for Russia to gradually approach the European economic space, so that we ultimately have a single economic zone from Vladivostok to Lisbon," Merkel noted. However, she added, against the backdrop of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, it is impossible to take her principles.