EU prepares new sanctions for Russia after Putin’s absence at Istanbul
Key European leaders sought Friday to project a united front with US President Donald Trump on ending the war in Ukraine, after direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv wrapped up with no breakthrough on a ceasefire.
As the talks concluded in Istanbul, the leaders of France, Germany, Britain and Poland — together with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky — called Trump from the sidelines of a summit in Albania, to debrief him and plan their next steps.
The call involved Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, Keir Starmer, and Donald Tusk, the same group that travelled last week to Kyiv in a show of support, when they also made a call to align their positions with Trump.
Moscow has consistently rebuffed calls for an unconditional ceasefire.
It is “unacceptable that Russia and President (Vladimir) Putin have not responded, for a second time, to the demands made by the Americans, supported by Ukraine and the Europeans,” Macron told reporters after the call.
“We continue to fight for peace, we continue to stand by President Zelensky and coordinate very closely with the United States,” added Macron.
He said European nations were coordinating with Washington on additional sanctions should Russia continue to refuse a ceasefire.
Macron said they would be exchanging again with Trump once the Ukrainian side receives a response to the “demands put to the Russian delegation”, which he expected “in the coming hours”.
Starmer likewise told reporters the Europeans and Trump “are now closely aligning and coordinating our responses and will continue to do so”.
He and Tusk, like Macron, described the Russian stance as “unacceptable”, while Merz declared himself “very disappointed” in the outcome from Friday’s talks — which Putin shunned, sending a second-level delegation instead.
“The message was clear. The Russian side had not shown any goodwill,” said the Polish leader.
“We will continue to work together,” Tusk said, underscoring that the “main task is to maintain full unity between our European and American partners on the Ukrainian issue”.
Muazzam Hamza
