EU Considering Full Trade Embargo on Russia After Putin Skips Istanbul Talks
European leaders are intensifying efforts to pressure Russian leader Vladimir Putin into ending the war against Ukraine after he failed to attend direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Turkey.
Discussions at the European Political Community summit in Tirana, Albania, on Friday will center on dramatically scaling up sanctions on Moscow, including the possibility of a full trade embargo, The Gaze reports, citing Politico.
“President Putin is hiding,” an aide to French President Emmanuel Macron said, ahead of the Kremlin’s confirmation that Putin would not attend the Istanbul negotiations. Instead, the Kremlin sent a lower-level delegation, while Zelenskyy arrived in Turkey ready for talks.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stressed the urgency of imposing harsher sanctions: “We must prepare to impose devastating sanctions that could suffocate the Russian economy once and for all”.
According to an EU official, the bloc is considering imposing punitive tariffs on Russian imports and is discussing a full trade embargo — a step they have previously avoided. This move would bypass internal obstacles like Hungary’s longstanding opposition to tougher measures against Moscow.
“We would take inspiration from the magnitude” of U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham’s recent proposal to slap 500 percent tariffs on Russian exports if Putin continues his aggression against Ukraine, the official added.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are meeting in Tirana to discuss the next steps to force Moscow into a ceasefire.
U.S. President Donald Trump, while signaling support for talks, downplayed the possibility of progress without direct negotiations with Putin himself. “Look, nothing is gonna happen until Putin and I get together,” he said.
As The Gaze previously reported, European Union ambassadors have officially approved the bloc’s 17th package of sanctions against Russia, significantly expanding restrictive measures in response to Moscow’s ongoing war against Ukraine and its global destabilizing activities.
Read more on The Gaze: Who Are Russia and Ukraine Sending to Istanbul Talks?