BERLIN, May 15. /TASS/. The new package of sanctions against Russia has been finalized, and will be adopted in Brussels on May 20, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
"This [sanctions] package is ready and will be adopted next Tuesday in Brussels. The consultations have been completed," Merz said on the ZDF TV channel.
The sanctions, he said, would take effect immediately.
"They are ready, they are coming into force, and the next package of sanctions is being prepared," the chancellor added.
Merz also commented on his trip to Kiev with French President Emmanuel Macron and the Prime Ministers of Great Britain and Poland, Keir Starmer and Donald Tusk. The chancellor did not expect that "this initiative would bring immediate success and lead to the end of the conflict. I had two goals. One of the goals was to say that Europe, not only the European Union, but also the largest European countries, Great Britain, France, Poland and Germany, speak in one voice," Merz said.
The second goal, according to him, was to coordinate positions, "if possible, with the United States." The chancellor pointed out that "not only the American president [Donald Trump] participated in the consultations before the trip to Kiev," but also "a number of US senators."
The 17th package of sanctions against Russia was approved on May 14 by the ambassadors of the EU countries, now these restrictions must be approved by the foreign ministers of the European Union, after which they will enter into force. Bloomberg previously characterized the package as light, as it does not include any new economic or trade restrictions for the first time since 2022, as the European Commission wanted to minimize the objections of EU countries and adopt this package as soon as possible.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow does not ignore the EU sanctions and will take well-balanced retaliatory measures that primarily take into account the interests of Russia and its citizens.