Merz calls on Putin to agree to ceasefire: Ball is in Russia's court
Vladimir Putin has to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, now the ball is in Russia's court, said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
"Ukraine has agreed to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, but Putin's agreement to this is in no hurry. Now it's up to Putin to accept this offer and agree to a ceasefire. The ball is in Russia's court," he wrote on the social network X.
The Chancellor later said the European Union was ready to impose tougher sanctions against Russia if progress was not made this week in ending the war in Ukraine, adding that a new package of sanctions had already been prepared, Reuters reports.
"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.
