Truce or sanctions: German government says Russia has until end of ay to act

German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius has stated that if a 30-day ceasefire is not established in Ukraine by the end of Monday, Berlin, together with its European partners, will begin preparing new sanctions against Russia.

"The clock is ticking– there are still twelve hours until the end of the day," Kornelius said, as quoted by Bild.

Kornelius said that Russia must agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine by the end of Monday, or it will face new sanctions.

In response to a question about whether this means that European countries will start preparing sanctions after Monday, Kornelius said: "Exactly".

"When today is over, preparations for sanctions measures will be initiated at the level of political advisors. At the same time, we are preparing the 17th package of sanctions in Brussels. These preparations are taking place in parallel with the negotiations [in Istanbul]," he stated.

On 10 May, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland demanded that Russia agree to an unconditional ceasefire for 30 days starting 12 May.

During a visit to Kyiv, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other heads of state and government warned Russia of sanctions if it refused to halt hostilities.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that Europe and the United States would impose large-scale sanctions.

Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin claimed that he is ready for "direct talks" with Kyiv in Istanbul on Thursday 15 May. However, he did not mention the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.