GERMANY - Angela Merkel’s Foreign Minister said Germany needs to regain trust with Russia as splits emerge in the Chancellor’s Cabinet over how to deal with Vladimir Putin. The provocative remarks from Heiko Maas come just weeks after Russia was roundly condemned by the international community for poisoning double agent Sergei Skripal in Britain. Mr Maas, of Mrs Merkel’s coalition partners the Social Democratic Party (SPD) said: “We need Russia as a partner to settle regional conflicts, for disarmament and as an important pillar of multilateralism. We are therefore open for dialogue and are trying to rebuild trust bit by bit if Russia is ready.”