Germany has close economic ties with Russia and could use this leverage to pressure President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's involvement in Syria, its defense minister said on Wednesday.Escalating military action in Syria's northern Idlib region, where Russia is backing an offensive by President Bashar al-Assad's army and Turkey is supporting rebels, risks direct confrontation between the two major foreign powers.
German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told RTL/n-tv private television that Germany had broad commercial ties with Russia and had already used sanctions in the Ukrainian conflict to show that Russia cannot get away with everything.
