Germany pressures Moscow, either ceasefire or tighter sanctions - Merz

Merz believes that Russia should declare its readiness for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. However, if there is no real progress this week in resolving the war, the German government will insist on significantly strengthening sanctions against Russia at the European level. This could specifically involve sectors such as energy and the financial market.

Merz responded to the question of whether the deadline has passed, when EU countries warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of harsher sanctions if he does not begin adhering to a full 30-day ceasefire starting from May 12.

Why the deadlines for possible new sanctions have been pushed back

Over the past weekend, Ukraine, the US, and the Coalition of the Willing essentially issued an ultimatum to Putin: either he starts a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire from May 12, or new sanctions will be imposed.

Later, on Sunday night, Putin addressed the nation. He ignored the topic of the 30-day ceasefire but instead proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine on Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a ceasefire should come first, followed by negotiations. However, it later became known that he would attend the talks regardless. Recently, Zelenskyy announced that he would be waiting for Putin in Türkiye. Moreover, if the Russian President attends the meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy for Trump Keith Kellogg, and even President Donald Trump himself might also join.

Bloomberg also reported that European leaders are prepared to wait for a potential meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy in Istanbul before pushing the US to join new sanctions against Russia.

Furthermore, European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho stated yesterday that if Putin does not attend the talks with Zelenskyy, Russia will face new sanctions.