German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called for additional EU sanctions against Russia on May 25 following Russia's large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine that killed 12 and injured 79.
"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin is not interested in peace, he wants to continue this war, and we must not allow this, which is why the European Union will agree on additional sanctions," Wadephul said in an interview with ARD.
Russia launched 69 missiles and 298 drones overnight on May 25, according to Ukraine's Air Force. The attack killed 12 people, including three children, and injured 79, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 20, stating that the next sanctions package "is already being prepared," after the EU approved the 17th sanctions package against Russia, which primarily targeted Russia's 'shadow fleet.'
Ukraine's European allies are continuing to tighten sanctions against Russia as Moscow refuses to ceasefire. In contrast, despite a commitment from U.S. President Donald Trump, no new U.S. sanctions have been imposed so far, with Trump saying that implementing sanctions "could also make it much worse."
Trump's special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg became the only U.S. official thus far to react to Russia's overnight large-scale attack on Ukraine on May 25, calling for the end to hostilities.
"The indiscriminate killing of women and children at night in their homes is a clear violation of the 1977 Geneva Peace Protocols designed to protect innocents. These attacks are shameful," Kellogg said on X without explicitly naming Russia. "Stop the killing. Ceasefire now."
The New York Times reported on May 20, citing a White House official, that Trump refuses to impose sanctions on Russia as it may hinder future business and trade opportunities with Moscow.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna on May 25 also called on additional economic pressure on Moscow following the attack.
"Putin continues this until the pressure becomes unbearable. It’s in our hands to make him stop," Tsahkna wrote on X.
Ukraine is set to pitch a larger number of recommendations to the European Union next week as to how the bloc can continue to ramp up economic pressure on Moscow through sanctions, Reuters reported on May 21.
Bloomberg reported on May 23 that the EU is close to restricting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in a new round of sanctions.
Abbey Fenbert
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