Aim of sanctions not to bash Russian economy - German foreign minister

Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivers a speech at the lower house of parliament Bundestag in Berlin, November 26, 2014. REUTERS/Stefanie Loos

BERLIN (Reuters) - The goal of sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis must not be to wear down Russia economically, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Thursday.

"Should it be our way of thinking and our goal to put down Russia economically?" asked Steinmeier at a conference organised by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily in Berlin.