Chancellor Merkel could go to Russia

– German Chancellor Angela Merkel “may well” visit Russia for the World Cup starting on Thursday in the face of international opprobrium for Moscow, she said on Sunday.

“It’s not fundamentally ruled out,” Merkel said in an interview with ARD public television.

“If you’re asking about a discussion of principles, whether one ought to travel there, it’s a clear yes.”

Russia is subject to Western sanctions over its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and support for rebels in the east of the country. – AFP