Thorsten Frei, the chief of staff of Germany’s new chancellor, told Reuters that Europe needs to “step out of its comfort zone” and consider much tougher sanctions on Russia, including potential bans on gas or uranium imports and tapping into frozen Russian state assets.
Frei’s comments come after the EU and Britain announced new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday targeting Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers and financial firms that have helped it circumvent existing sanctions related to the invasion of Ukraine.
Frei emphasized that the next round of EU sanctions, currently in preparation, must be robust, even if they impact other EU member states. He specifically mentioned European import bans on gas or uranium and utilizing frozen Russian state assets as measures that would significantly hurt Russia and achieve the intended impact of sanctions. He also supported sanctions on the Nord Stream gas pipeline.
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Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who recently took office, stated last week that Germany and its allies would move to confiscate frozen Russian assets if legally possible, and that discussions about sanctions on Russian energy are ongoing.
Frei accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “playing for time” and having no intention of seeking peace, noting that attacks continued and even intensified during recent peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul. He believes Putin aims to create military facts on the ground and expects to achieve his war aims militarily, making a quick peace unlikely.
Frei did not rule out the possibility of Germany increasing its military aid for Ukraine beyond the €7 billion ($8 billion) allocated in the draft budget for this year, but did not specify a potential amount.
