Clock ticking for Russia to abide by truce initiative or face sanctions, Germany says

Kyiv — European countries will start preparing new sanctions on Russia unless the Kremlin by the end of Monday starts abiding by a 30-day ceasefire in its war with Ukraine, Germany’s government said.

Ukraine’s military said Russia had conducted dozens of attacks along the front in eastern Ukraine on Monday as well as an overnight assault using more than 100 drones, despite the ceasefire proposal by Europe and Kyiv.

“The clock is ticking,” a German government spokesperson said at a news conference in Berlin.

“We still have 12 hours until the end of the day, and if the ceasefire is not in place by then, the European side will (set in motion) preparations for sanctions,” the spokesperson said.

It is not clear though how much impact fresh European sanctions would have on Russia, especially if the US does not join in as well.

The leaders of four major European powers travelled to Kyiv on Saturday and demanded an unconditional 30-day ceasefire from Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin, implicitly rejecting the offer, instead proposed direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul that he said could potentially lead to a ceasefire.

Committed

In a fresh twist in the stop-start peace talks process, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would travel in person to Istanbul where, he said, he would be waiting to meet Putin.

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was serious about trying to find peace at talks he has proposed in Turkey but his spokesperson said he could say no more about the talks after Ukraine demanded the Kremlin chief attend. 

Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine aimed at ending the war, and, after US President Donald Trump publicly told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept, Zelensky said he would but that Putin should attend in person.

“We are committed to a serious search for ways of a long-term peaceful settlement,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, referencing the failed 2022 talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Peskov said many leaders had welcomed Putin’s approach.

Contempt

Putin and Zelensky have not met since December 2019 — over two years before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — and make no secret of their contempt for each other.

Responding to the proposal of a ceasefire, Russia said at the weekend it is committed to ending the war but that European powers were using the language of confrontation.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia was “completely ignoring” the ceasefire initiative, citing what he said were continued attacks on Ukrainian forces.

He said he shared information about the continued fighting with European partners and with US secretary of state Marco Rubio on a joint phone call. The allies had agreed sanctions would be needed to pressure Russia if it snubbed the truce move.

Intensity

The Ukrainian military’s general staff said that as of 4pm (3pm SA time) on Monday there had been 69 clashes with Russian forces along the front line since midnight, when the ceasefire was to have come into effect.

The intensity of the fighting was at the same level it would be if there were no ceasefire, said Viktor Trehubov, a spokesperson for the military on Ukraine’s eastern front.

The Ukrainian air force said Ukraine came under attack overnight from 108 long-range combat drones starting from 11pm (10pm SA time), an hour before the proposed ceasefire was due to kick in. Attacks of this kind unfold over the course of hours as drones fly much slower than missiles.

Russia also launched guided bombs at targets in the northeastern Kharkiv region and the northern Sumy region, the air force said, while the Ukrainian state railway company said a Russian drone hit a civilian freight train in the east.

Spoiler

Russia and Ukraine are both trying to show US President Donald Trump that they are working towards his objective of reaching a rapid peace in Ukraine, while trying to make the other look like the spoiler to his efforts.

Kyiv is desperate to unlock more of the US military backing it received from Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden. Moscow senses an opportunity to get relief from a barrage of economic sanctions and engage with the world’s biggest economy.

Europe meanwhile is doing its best to preserve good relations with Trump despite his imposition of tariffs, hoping it can persuade him to swing more forcefully behind Ukraine’s cause, which they see as central to the continent’s security.

Reuters