Germany and France are ready to agree more extensive sanctions against Russia if a planned presidential election in Ukraine on May 25 is foiled, Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande said on Saturday.
In a joint statement, they agreed to support tougher sanctions against Russia — affecting areas such as energy, defense, financial services and engineering — than European Union leaders outlined at a meeting in Brussels on March 6.
"We would be ready to take further sanctions against Russia if the May 25 elections in Ukraine fail," Merkel said at a joint news conference with Hollande in the Baltic port of Stralsund, although sanctions would not be "an end in themselves."