BERLIN (Sputnik) – Almost 90 percent of German business representatives working in Russia support either the immediate or gradual lifting of the economic sanctions against Russia, a survey carried out by the German-Russian Chamber of Commerce (AHK) revealed Friday.
Some 60 percent of the poll’s participants said they favored an immediate lifting of the sanctions, whereas 28 percent believed the restrictive measures should be removed gradually. Only 12 percent of the businessmen stated that the Western sanctions were justified, half as much as in 2015, the survey’s results showed.
The survey was carried out in January 2016 among 152 German companies that employ over 130,000 people in Russia.
16 February 2016, 13:14 GMT
Starting in 2014, the European Union, the United States and their allies have imposed a series of economic sanctions targeting key Russian sectors as well as a number of individuals and entities.
The West blames Moscow for fueling the conflict in southeastern Ukraine and views Crimea's incorporation into Russia as a breach of international law.
