Putin's big mistake

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin made a mistake by sending a delegation with no one of ministerial rank to the Istanbul negotiations in an attempt to end the war in Ukraine.

"I think Putin made a mistake by sending a low-level delegation led by his historian. The ball is in his court, he must want to play and be serious in his desire for peace. All the pressure is now on Putin," said Mr. Rutte upon his arrival at the European Political Community summit in Tirana.

Meanwhile, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Friday that the European Union is preparing a new package of sanctions against Russia, which will include, among other things, measures against the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines and the financial sector.

Upon her arrival at the summit in Tirana, Ms. von der Leyen stressed that the new package of sanctions will be a response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's attitude in recent days, who publicly called for a ceasefire that he didn't respect, rejected the Ukrainian proposal of a 30-day ceasefire, and didn't attend the negotiations in Turkey.

(MH with AmBar - Source: Agency - Photo: © DPA - Anadolu - Kremlin Press Office - Handout)