Merz publicly rejects Trump's diesel deal with Russia; EU finalizes new sanctions package against Moscow the same day

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly criticized U.S. President Trump's diesel import agreement with Russia in Berlin on Monday. According to DW, Merz said: "We have taken note of the agreement between the United States and Russia on diesel exports. For Germany and Europe, such a decision is unacceptable." He called for tighter sanctions on Moscow rather than a relaxation of pressure.

Merz also questioned the "immediate ceasefire" on Russian and Ukrainian energy infrastructure announced by Trump on Truth Social, noting that Russia's response had been "massive attacks." DW reported that Ukrainian President Zelensky said he had not been informed of the ceasefire in advance, and the Kremlin did not confirm that the deal had taken effect. German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius revealed that Zelensky had briefed Merz on weekend Russian targeted strikes on civilian targets and energy infrastructure in Kyiv and Kharkiv. Merz reiterated Germany's support for Ukraine and said efforts to advance a just and lasting peace would be discussed at this week's EU summit.

The same day, EU member states' foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg finalized a new round of sanctions against Russia. According to DW, the sanctions list covers roughly 1,600 individuals and companies linked to Russia's war machine, as well as 77 individuals and entities connected to so-called "illegal elections" in occupied Ukrainian territory. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul issued a statement saying the EU was delivering an "unprecedented sanctions blow" to Moscow. He said: "We are making it harder for Putin to continue his aggressive war, which violates international law, and his cold-blooded attempt to wear down Ukrainian civilians through brutal bombing campaigns." He reiterated that pressure would be "maintained until Putin is ready to engage in serious negotiations on peace in Ukraine." Wadephul was absent from the Luxembourg meeting because he was in Berlin attending a CDU party congress.

While pushing for a new round of sanctions against Russia, German officials continued participating in scheduled NATO nuclear deterrence exercises. According to the DPA news agency, citing a German air force spokesperson, three Tornado fighter jets based at Büchel Air Base in western Germany had flown to Aviano Air Base in northern Italy to take part in NATO's annual exercise "Steadfast Noon," launching on Tuesday. DW reported that a NATO statement stressed the exercise was "routine, unrelated to current world events, and not directed at any specific country," and that it did not involve live nuclear weapons. However, the exercise rehearses precisely NATO's capability to deliver nuclear weapons in a conflict, and under NATO nuclear-sharing arrangements, Germany can deliver American nuclear warheads deployed in the country with its own warplanes.

Merz's statement put a fundamental divergence between Washington and the EU over Russia policy in the spotlight: as the United States chooses to conduct point-to-point energy transactions with Russia, Europe bears the principal costs and moral burden of sanctions against Moscow. The scale of the EU's new sanctions package — 1,600 additional individuals and entities — shows that "pressure to force talks" remains at the core of its Russia policy; meanwhile, the Trump administration's diesel deal with Moscow sends a signal in the opposite direction.