Germany issues ultimatum to Russia over Ukraine ceasefire

The German government has issued an ultimatum to Russia in its efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine: If the ceasefire was not in place by Monday evening, preparations for sanctions against Moscow would be “set in motion”, government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said in Berlin. The Kremlin then rejected any ultimatums as “unacceptable”. Despite all appeals, Russia continued to fly countless drone attacks on Ukraine.

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On Saturday, Germany, France, the UK and Poland called on Russia to implement a 30-day ceasefire from Monday. During a visit to Kiev, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and the other heads of state and government threatened to impose sanctions if this did not happen. On Monday, the German government increased the pressure once again: “The clock is ticking, we still have twelve hours until the end of the day,” said government spokesman Kornelius. If there is no ceasefire by the evening, preparations for sanctions will begin.

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Putin has so far rejected the demands for a temporary ceasefire, but has offered direct negotiations with Ukraine on Thursday in Istanbul. Selenskyj declared his willingness to meet Putin directly, but insisted on the 30-day ceasefire from Monday, which the Europeans have also demanded.

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Meanwhile, the fighting on the ground continued unabated: on Monday night, Ukraine reported 108 Russian drone attacks. Foreign Minister Andirj Sybiha accused Russia of ignoring the ceasefire demanded by Kiev and its Western partners. Instead, the Russian army continued to attack “Ukrainian positions along the entire front line”, Sybiha wrote in the online service X.

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Meanwhile, several foreign ministers met in London in the so-called Weimar Triangle Plus format to discuss the situation in Ukraine. The British Foreign Secretary and host of the meeting, David Lammy, received colleagues from Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Spain and Ukraine as well as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas. The format was established in February in response to the change of course in US Ukraine policy brought about by President Donald Trump. Germany was represented at the meeting by the new Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU).

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“For the first time, we have momentum, a real chance” for early peace negotiations, Wadephul told the RTL and ntv broadcasters on the sidelines of the meeting. Ukraine could rely on "a great deal of European support". Meanwhile, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas accused Russia of stalling. "We have to put pressure on Russia because they are playing games," she said in London.