Foreign minister says latest Russian drone attacks demonstrate Moscow not ready for peace talks, pledges tougher sanctions
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Wednesday condemned Russia's massive airstrikes on Ukraine and drone incursions into Poland, and announced that Europeans will introduce tougher sanctions to increase pressure on Moscow.
“Even after three years, Moscow is still not prepared to negotiate seriously for peace. On the contrary, the Kremlin wants to subjugate Ukraine by force. We must and will respond to this with a clear answer,” Wadephul told a joint press conference with his Dutch counterpart in Berlin.
He said Germany and its European partners are in agreement to maintain their strong support for Ukraine to enhance its defense capabilities to counter Russian attacks.
"At the same time, we must significantly increase sanctions pressure. We are in complete agreement on this. That is our goal for the 19th package of sanctions," Wadephul said, referring to discussions on the latest EU sanctions, which will reportedly target Russian banks and the energy sector.
