EU plans sanctions if Russia rejects Ukraine ceasefire

French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters that the offer is valid until the evening. And although time has not yet run out, he plans to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the afternoon.

"I will speak to Volodymyr Zelenskyy and my European colleagues this afternoon. The boundaries have been given. Everything is clear. Now we all have to be sensible. Either Russia is serious and wants peace. Or it is not serious and we have to impose more sanctions," Le Figaro quotes him as saying.

German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius also stressed that “the clock is ticking.” If Russia does not cease fire on Monday, May 12, Germany and European partners will launch the process of preparing new sanctions.

"When this day passes, the level of political advisors will begin to prepare sanctions measures. At the same time, we are preparing the 17th package of sanctions in Brussels. These preparatory works are taking place in parallel with the negotiations [in Istanbul]," Kornelius said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Russia was ignoring the ceasefire proposal and continuing to advance along the entire front line, according to military reports. There was no response from Moscow either.

Meanwhile, the spokesman for the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, said that the Russian Federation does not accept the "language of ultimatums".

"Before this warning, we had already heard warnings the day before yesterday, and they were also voiced in a rather ultimatum form. But such language of ultimatums is unacceptable for Russia, it is not suitable. You cannot speak such language with Russia," he said.

What will be the sanctions?

EU Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho cited European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s suggestion of sanctioning the Nord Stream 2 consortium as one option if Russia refuses the ceasefire.

“I can refer to one option that President [Ursula] von der Leyen herself announced on Saturday during a video conference with the ‘coalition of the resolute’, which she joined online. She raised the question of the possibility of imposing sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 consortium. So, this is one of the options,” Pinho is quoted as saying by European Pravda.

What is known about the ceasefire?

Ukraine, together with its allies — France, Germany, Britain, and Poland — supported a 30-day ceasefire without any conditions starting on May 12. The United States made a similar proposal.

In addition, according to media reports, Ukraine, the United States and the EU have prepared a list of 22 conditions for ending the war, which they will submit to Russia. In case of refusal, Ukraine's partners have threatened to tighten sanctions against the Russian Federation.

Late on May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a conference call in which he proposed resuming direct talks with Ukraine "without any preconditions" in Türkiye on May 15. He did not mention the proposal for a ceasefire from May 12.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is ready for negotiations, but a ceasefire is needed first. He stressed that he will wait for Putin personally in Türkiye.