The Chancellor of Germany threatened Russia

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned about possible tightening of sanctions against Russia if a meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine - Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky - does not take place in the near future.

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to RBC, he stated this at a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

"We expect that a meeting between Zelensky and Putin will take place within two weeks. If this does not happen, as was agreed between Trump and Putin, the initiative will again pass to the Europeans and Americans. Then we will discuss further steps," Merz noted.

According to him, the Russian side's refusal to agree to a meeting will require additional pressure. "In this case, the European Union is preparing new sanctions. The US President also does not rule out introducing additional punitive measures," the Chancellor added.

Merz emphasized that if a bilateral meeting is not possible, a trilateral discussion between Putin, Zelensky, and US President Donald Trump would become logical.

Trump also confirmed his readiness to organize the meeting. According to him, preparation for the negotiations has already begun, with the optimal option being first a tête-à-tête meeting between Putin and Zelensky, after which a trilateral meeting would be possible.