The German government confirmed on Monday that the United States has agreed to “tightly coordinate” Ukraine-related negotiations with its European allies. The announcement comes following a high-profile call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to Berlin, immediately after speaking with Putin, Trump initiated a follow-up call with key European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The summary of the call, released by Merz’s spokesperson, indicated that the leaders “spoke to each other about the next steps” and “emphasized their willingness to closely accompany Ukraine on the path to a ceasefire.”
However, the call also exposed a potential divergence in strategy. “The European participants (on the call) announced that they would increase pressure on the Russian side through sanctions,” the readout noted, suggesting a firmer line from Europe compared to Washington.
The statement follows the EU’s recent approval of its 17th sanctions package against Russia, a continuing response to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022. According to EU leadership, work is already underway on an 18th package.
On Friday, European Commission President von der Leyen signaled that future measures could target the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines—controversial gas routes running through the Baltic Sea. The aim would be to block any attempt to bring them back into operation, in a clear warning to Moscow.
