Germany backs new EU sanctions against Moscow after Putin-Trump call
Following a phone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and his russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Germany stated it would back new European Union sanctions against Russia’s energy sector, according to webangah News Agency.
Steffen Seibert, spokesperson for the German government, said Berlin “supports sanctions related to Nord Stream” but emphasized that “U.S. cooperation in implementing any potential sanction package will be crucial.”
The Nord stream 1 and 2 pipelines—connecting Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea—have been inactive as 2022 due to EU sanctions and alleged sabotage that Moscow claims was coordinated by Western intelligence agencies.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the next round of EU sanctions would target Russia’s financial sector, its fleet of oil-sanction-evading tankers, and the Nord Stream system. She added that these measures aim to pressure Moscow into accepting an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.
Moscow has expressed no objection to a ceasefire “in principle” but voiced concerns about Ukraine exploiting such a pause to regroup its forces. Russia also reiterated its view that Western sanctions are illegal while asserting its economy has adapted to such pressure.
The German government’s remarks came one day after Putin and Trump held a two-hour phone discussion.
