"We are waiting for Putin's agreement": German chancellor says sanctions depend on this week's "progress"
www.pravda.com.ua
Tue, 13 May 2025 17:33:13 +0300
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has stated on Tuesday that the European Union is prepared to impose tougher sanctions on Russia if there is no progress this week in ending the war in Ukraine.
Source Reuters, as reported by European Pravda Details Merz spoke at a press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during which he addressed the topic of a peaceful settlement in Ukraine.
Quote We are waiting for Putins agreement and we agree that if there is no real progress this week, we want to work together at the European level for a significant tightening of sanctions.
We will be looking at other areas, such as the energy sector and also the financial market. Details Merz noted that EU leaders had agreed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he could take part in negotiations with Russia in Istanbul this week, provided that Russia halts the bombing of civilians in Ukraine.
Expressing respect for Zelenskyys willingness to compromise if it helps achieve a ceasefire, Merz added I believe more compromise and more concessions are no longer reasonable.
Background On 10 May, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland demanded that Russia agree to an unconditional ceasefire for 30 days starting 12 May.
The German government stated that if a ceasefire was not established in Ukraine by the end of Monday 12 May, Berlin would begin preparing new sanctions against Russia together with its European partners.
However, on 13 May, Bloomberg reported that European leaders are ready to wait until a possible meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Trkiye before pressuring the United States to impose new sanctions against Moscow.
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