On May 16, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and French and Turkish presidents Emmanuel Macron and Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold urgent talks in the Albanian capital, Tirana.
Points of attention
- Recent EU sanctions against Russia include measures against about 200 vessels of the enemy's 'shadow fleet'.
- The meeting aims to address the need for a more robust response to Russia's actions and is considering new measures like trade tariffs to increase pressure.
What is known about the talks between European leaders in Albania?
Politico learned about this meeting. According to journalists, the main topic of the talks was ways to end Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine.
The focus of the parties is on significantly strengthening sanctions against the aggressor country, Russia.
According to insiders, the first thing that will be discussed is the introduction of punitive duties on imports from Russia.
Although the EU has already imposed a number of sanctions against Russia since 2022, there has been no full trade blockade. The imposition of tariffs has previously been discussed as a way to circumvent Hungary's resistance to new sanctions.
What is important to understand is that on May 14, ambassadors of the European Union countries agreed on the 17th package of sanctions against Russia, which includes measures against about 200 vessels of the enemy's so-called "shadow fleet".
According to one anonymous source, Brussels was inspired by US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to impose new sanctions.
He was the first to call for the imposition of 500 percent tariffs on Russian exports if Putin does not stop the war.
"We are taking the scale of this proposal as a model," the insider emphasized.
