Germany's Merz confident US will align on stricter Russia sanctions

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed confidence that the United States will follow the path of tightening sanctions against Russia.

Speaking ahead of the upcoming NATO summit, Merz told the Bundestag that the 18th EU sanctions package targeting Russia is expected to be launched during the forthcoming European Council meeting in Brussels, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

"At the G7 summit and during my recent visit to Washington, I strongly advocated for the United States to intensify its sanctions against Russia. This would contribute to ending the loss of life — a goal President Donald Trump supports, and one we all share. I remain confident that the US government will take that path," Merz stated in his official address to the Bundestag.

Regarding NATO, Merz said it would be no exaggeration to call the upcoming summit "historic," given its importance for increasing defence spending among alliance members.

He stressed that allies are stepping up not to "do a favour for the US and its president, as some claim," but because they recognise the real threats they face — primarily from Russia.

His speech was broadcast on the Bundestag’s official website.

Merz also reiterated Germany’s plan to increase defence spending with the goal of turning the Bundeswehr into "the strongest conventional army in Europe," ready to defend Germany and support its allies.

"For too long, we in Germany ignored the warnings from our Baltic neighbours about Russia. We have acknowledged that mistake. There is no turning back from that realisation," he said.

In conclusion, Merz warned that "we cannot expect the world around us to return to calmer times anytime soon." He said it would be wise to prepare for this new reality.

The NATO summit is being held on June 24–25. As part of the summit, a meeting of the NATO–Ukraine Council is also taking place.

NATO leaders are convening in The Hague, where a new defence spending goal — raising the target to 5% of GDP, up from the current 2% — is under discussion.

Earlier, during the G7 summit in Canada, US President Donald Trump addressed the issue of sanctions on Russia, stating that the existing American sanctions cost Washington "enormous" sums — in the billions of dollars. He also noted that the European Union has yet to impose new sanctions of its own, and said he was holding off on additional US sanctions in hopes of reaching a settlement agreement on Ukraine.

On June 23, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said following a meeting of EU foreign ministers that the bloc aims to approve the 18th sanctions package by the end of the week.

However, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced the same day that Hungary and Slovakia had blocked the sanctions package. He claimed Brussels was attempting to simultaneously bypass its own rules by prohibiting both Budapest and Bratislava from purchasing Russian oil and gas.

By Tamilla Hasanova