German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking at a regional event of his conservatives in North Rhine-Westphalia, said diplomatic efforts in recent weeks had failed.
"All efforts of the past weeks have been answered with an even more aggressive approach by this regime in Moscow against the population in Ukraine," he said on Saturday
"This will also not stop until we ensure together that Russia, at least for economic reasons, and perhaps also for military reasons … can no longer continue this war."
Efforts by US President Donald Trump to broker a diplomatic solution have so far been unsuccessful, and Kyiv along with European allies including Germany are pushing for tougher sanctions on Moscow.
EU Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas said she had asked member states to submit proposals for new sanctions on Russia next week.
Most EU countries, however, oppose using frozen Russian assets due to legal constraints, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said during an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Copenhagen.
"I believe that financial sanctions should be imposed to prevent Putin from having the economic means to pay the military very high salaries – three times that of a worker," he told reporters.
"However, I do not believe there is a legal basis for sanctions on the private assets of Russians," Tajani added,
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said Poland was prepared to help insure Belgium against potential Russian lawsuits if EU-frozen assets are used.
Most Russian assets, over EUR 200 billion, are held at the Belgian clearing house Euroclear.
Sikorski emphasised the importance of sanctions against Russia's "shadow fleet" and warned of upcoming Russian Zapad military exercises in Belarus, underscoring Poland’s logistical role in supporting Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier that he and Merz would speak with Trump over the weekend, noting that Putin had misled the US president regarding a proposed meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders argued that this strengthened the case for tougher sanctions.
Meanwhile, Russian forces are waging a non-stop offensive along almost the entire front line in Ukraine and have the "strategic initiative," according to the chief of Russia's general staff, General Valery Gerasimov.
Russia has also stepped up airstrikes on Ukrainian towns and cities far behind the front lines.
(ał)
Source: PAP, Reuters