Merz threatened to tighten sanctions if Putin did not meet with Zelensky.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz threatened to tighten sanctions against RUSSIA if a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not take place soon. He made the statement at a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

"We have jointly expressed the expectation that a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin will take place within two weeks... If such a meeting does not take place, as agreed between [ US President Donald] Trump and Putin, then the ball will again be in our court—I mean the Europeans and Americans. Then we will confer on this matter again," the chancellor said.

According to Merz, if Russia refuses to allow Putin to meet with Zelensky, "even greater pressure will be required." "The European Union is developing further sanctions for this eventuality . The American president also didn't rule out the introduction of additional punitive tariffs," he added.

The Chancellor emphasized that if a "de facto agreed" bilateral meeting does not take place, the logical step would be a trilateral conversation between Putin, Zelensky, and US President Donald Trump.

Last week, the Russian Foreign MinisterIn an interview with NBC, Sergei Lavrov stated that a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy requires an agenda, which, he said, is currently lacking. Lavrov accused Kyiv of stalling the peace process, noting that Ukraine rejects Moscow's terms.

At the same time, the minister emphasized that Russia recognizes Zelenskyy as the "de facto HEAD of the regime" and is ready to negotiate with him, although the question remains as to whether he has the authority to sign documents. "When it comes to signing legal documents, everyone must have a clear understanding that the signatory is legitimate," he noted.

Following a meeting with Ukrainian and European leaders at the White House , US President Donald Trump announced that preparations for a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy had already begun. He believed it would be optimal for the presidents to first meet face-to-face, with a possible trilateral meeting later. Asked why Putin was reluctant to meet with Zelenskyy, the American leader said, "He doesn't like him."