German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron called for secondary sanctions aimed at undermining Russia’s war machine, increasing pressure on Moscow as U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace efforts sputter.
To hamper Moscow’s abilities to raise money from oil sales, Europe’s two biggest economies will push for measures targeting "companies from third countries that support Russia’s war,” according to a joint statement on Friday after a meeting of German and French cabinet members.
"We will continue to exert pressure for additional sanctions to be imposed by ourselves — and we are prepared to do so — but also by the U.S., to force Russia to return to the negotiating table,” Macron said alongside Merz at a news conference at Fort du Cap Brun near the Mediterranean port city of Toulon.
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