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European leaders have indicated they will press ahead with further sanctions against Russia – whether or not the US does likewise – if talks in Turkey on Thursday do not produce a ceasefire. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said Europe would impose new sanctions if Moscow did not agree to the 30-day ceasefire. The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, warned Russia on Tuesday that it would face fresh European sanctions if there was no “real progress” this week towards peace in Ukraine, as he urged Putin to meet Zelenskyy. The European Union has already imposed 16 rounds of sanctions on Russia since Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
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It remained unclear on Tuesday evening whether Vladimir Putin would accept Voldoymyr Zelenskyy’s challenge for the two presidents to meet in person. Zelenskyy is travelling to Ankara, the Turkish capital, to meet with its president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and has said he will go to Istanbul if Putin shows up, writes Shaun Walker. “If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war.”
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The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said in Copenhagen on Tuesday: “I think it’s a good move if they sit down … But I don’t think he dares, Putin.” If Putin does not attend, and Zelenskyy does not either, talks are still expected to be held at a lower level between Ukrainian and Russian delegations.
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