Ahead of a visit by German lawmakers to Russia, one of them, Gregor Gysi from the left-wing party Die Linke, has accused Angela Merkel of failing to steer relations between the two countries out of the impasse in which they’ve been mired for years.

The number 2 in the Bundestag’s German-Russian group, Gregor Gysi, from Die Linke has told Sputnik that lifting tit-for-tat sanctions would help to solve international conflicts.

“The sanctions, imposed by the West, further aggravated the situation [in relations with Russia]. Russia responded with sanctions, too. That is why lifting them bilaterally would be a condition for renewing active dynamics in the dialogue between Germany and Russia”, Gysi stated, noting this demands that the German government take a corresponding stance.