German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz has said that the EU would impose tighter sanctions on Russia if there is no progress made in ceasefire talks by the end of the week.
Speaking at a press conference with visiting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Merz repeated the warning – first expressed on Monday – in a clear bid to put further pressure on Russia to move.
“We are waiting for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s agreement and we agree that if there is no real progress this week, we want to work together at 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.”
Friedrich Merz
Merz, who took office last week, travelled to Kyiv last weekend together with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, where they called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire from Monday.
However, with that deadline now passed, it was initially unclear how the European leaders would proceed, having flouted the possibility of imposing further sanctions on Russia to force progress in the three-year-old conflict.
The Kremlin responded to the ceasefire ultimatum by offering to hold direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey instead, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to say he would await Putin in Ankara on Thursday.
Merz said that after the four leaders’ visit to Kyiv on Saturday, they spent all day consulting with other heads of states and governments, including the US, on next steps.
He urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a Ukraine ceasefire and peace with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul on Thursday.
Merz said that EU leaders had agreed with the Ukrainian President that he could take part in talks with Russia in Istanbul this week on the condition that Russian bombardment and attacks on civilians in Ukraine must stop.
“We welcome the fact that President Zelensky has personally agreed to travel to Turkey to negotiate peace with President Putin. But now it is really up to Putin to accept this offer of negotiations and agree to a ceasefire. The ball is entirely in Russia’s court.”
Friedrich Merz
Merz Hails Zelenskyy’s Determination For Ceasefire Negotiation
Additionally, Merz pointedly praised Zelenskyy’s determination to progress the talks and his “courage” to offer that he could attend this Thursday’s meeting in Turkey in person, “despite extremely difficult circumstances.”
“It shows the seriousness and willingness to compromise, that he is prepared to do everything possible to seize the opportunity for a ceasefire and subsequent peace talks on Ukraine.”
Friedrich Merz
While saying he admired Zelenskyy’s willingness to compromise if it could help a ceasefire, Merz stressed, “I believe more compromise and more concessions are no longer reasonable.”
He asserted that the entire situation is “pushing the boundaries of what the entire country can be expected to endure.” He noted, “The headline is: this war must stop and that’s why we are helping.”
He also stressed that, if necessary, Germany will support Ukraine military for many years to come.
“None of us is prepared to accept that military force will change the borders in Europe. If we allow this to happen, we will see further military aggression against other European countries too, and that’s why no one should underestimate our determination.”
Friedrich Merz
In a further pointed warning, he added that the leaders’ visit over the weekend “should be understood as a clear sign of our determination and should not be underestimated.”
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