Shillong: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared that a new diesel export agreement between the United States and Russia is out of the question for his country. Merz spoke Monday in Berlin, two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump discussed energy supplies. Trump claimed the deal would bring Russian diesel to American and global markets, following a partial lift on export restrictions by the Kremlin.
The German leader remains firm. He pledged that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky can count on Germany and Europe. Trump also pushed an energy ceasefire between the warring nations, but Merz shot down the idea of immediate peace talks. EU leaders will gather in Brussels this Thursday and Friday to push for a sustainable end to the conflict.
The bloc is tightening the screws. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed on Monday that foreign ministers adopted 1,600 new sanctions. These measures specifically target the Russian military-industrial complex. Kallas noted that over half of these additions strike at the production chain for ballistic missiles. She described the move as the largest expansion of the sanctions list since the war began. The strategy aims to make weapon production slower, costlier, and harder for Moscow. Kallas added that these listings address sham elections held by Russia in occupied Ukrainian territories. She urged for better coordination with the United States to keep the pressure on Moscow high.
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