Europe is already advancing in the new package of sanctions against Russia. It will be the 18th since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine and, for the first time, will include a very important aspect: the "prohibition" of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which had been overlooked until now. These are the pipelines through which Germany imported cheap gas from Russia, which became paralyzed after the conflict but is now directly prohibited.
The EU's progress comes once it has become clear, according to the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, that "Putin does not want peace." "Putin continued to strike Ukraine and proposed a meeting between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey. Zelensky was willing to meet, but Putin did not show up," stated the German official before participating in the European Political Community meeting taking place this Friday in Tirana, Albania, referring to the failed talks in Istanbul.
The sanctions being finalized by the Commission will also affect the Russian financial sector; increase pressure on the ghost fleet through which the country exports goods that are already sanctioned; and establish a lower maximum price that countries can pay for Russian oil. "It is time to intensify the pressure until Putin is willing to make peace," emphasized Von der Leyen.
In the same vein, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has expressed that the Russian President's lack of interest in engaging in real peace negotiations is concerning. "I believe Putin made a mistake by sending a low-level delegation with his historian leading the delegation. The ball is in his court; he must want to play and be serious about wanting peace. All the pressure is now on Putin," stated the head of the Alliance.
"I know Putin well from my time as Prime Minister of the Netherlands," Rutte continued, emphasizing again that the Russian President "knows perfectly well that the ball is in his court, that he has problems, and that he made a mistake by sending a low-level delegation."
The joint message from the EU and NATO is very clear, and it has also been echoed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Putin, he stated, "does not take peace seriously," and "has been stalling." French President Emmanuel Macron, on the other hand, declined to speak to the media despite being another major European figure in pressuring Russia and defending Ukraine.
Even Volodymyr Zelensky, also present in Tirana, did not make any statements before the meeting. The meeting will serve for the President of Ukraine to seek more support in pressuring Putin to engage in real peace talks at the highest level to truly end the conflict.
One of the planned meetings will be with the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who maintains his offer to host peace talks and believes there is a "historic opportunity" to reach a lasting agreement.