German chancellor threatens Russia with sanctions if peace talks fail

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has threatened Russia with new sanctions if it does not agree to a lasting ceasefire in Ukraine and peace talks.

The new German chancellor called on Russia to "finally embark on the path of real peace talks".

"If this does not happen, we will not hesitate, together with our European partners and the United States of America, to further strengthen sanctions," he said on Friday during his first visit to Brussels, as quoted by Stern.

On Thursday, Merz had a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump. The chancellor said that he expressed his support for the plan for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.

Merz said that Russia must "finally agree to a lasting truce that will allow for a genuine peace treaty".

On Friday, Merz arrived in Brussels for his first visit as chancellor to hold talks with EU and NATO representatives.

On 8 May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a telephone conversation with Merz. The Ukrainian president said that they agreed to "work on the implementation of many important things".