German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned Russia on Tuesday that it would face fresh European sanctions if there was no “real progress” this week towards peace in Ukraine.
“We agree that if there is no real progress this week, we will then work together at the European level for a significant tightening of sanctions,” Merz said at a press conference with visiting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
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Merz urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a Ukraine ceasefire and peace with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul on Thursday.
“We welcome the fact that President Zelensky has personally agreed to travel to Turkey to negotiate peace with President Putin,” Merz said.
“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,” he added.
“In case the Russian government does not agree to this, we will look at other areas such as the energy sector and the financial market” to target with sanctions, he said.
Merz said he admired Zelensky’s “courage” and his willingness “to do everything he can to use an opportunity for a ceasefire and subsequent peace talks in Ukraine”.
He insisted that “the headline is: This war must stop.”
“And that’s why we’re also providing military assistance, and if necessary, we’ll continue to support Ukraine militarily for many years to come if this war doesn’t stop.
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“None of us is prepared to accept that borders in Europe will be changed by military force. If we allow that to happen, we’ll see further military aggression against other European countries, too, and that’s why no one should underestimate our determination,” he said.
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