Chancellor Merz criticizes Russian President Putin's absence from Istanbul peace talks, saying a ceasefire could have been achieved if he had joined negotiations - Anadolu Ajansı

"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," Merz said at a news conference with his Greek counterpart.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that a new sanctions package against Russia could be approved by the European Council during the meeting scheduled in Brussels on May 20, according to Merz’s Twitter account (X).