EU readying new sanctions to increase pressure on Russia, von der Leyen says

By Andrew Gray and Fatos Bytyci

TIRANA (Reuters) - The European Union is moving connected a caller bundle of sanctions to summation unit connected Russian President Vladimir Putin implicit the warfare successful Ukraine, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said connected Friday arsenic leaders from crossed Europe met successful Tirana.

The EU, however, has already adopted 17 authorisation packages - the latest 1 this week - and diplomats accidental it is progressively hard to get the indispensable unanimity among the bloc's 27 members to walk caller measures.

"He does not privation peace, truthful we person to summation the pressure, and this is wherefore we are moving connected a caller bundle of sanctions," von der Leyen said, referring to Putin, earlier the European Political Community acme successful Albania.

"This bundle volition see for lawsuit sanctions connected Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2. It volition see moving connected listing much vessels of the Russian shadiness fleet and besides lowering the lipid terms cap, and besides much sanctions connected the fiscal assemblage successful Russia."

Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, each consisting of 2 pipes, were built by Russia's state-controlled Gazprom to pump earthy state to Germany nether the Baltic Sea. They were ruptured by a bid of blasts successful 2022.

"Massive" sanctions European leaders person threatened implicit the past days would request U.S. enactment to succeed, officials and diplomats person said.

Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were successful Istanbul connected Friday for what was billed arsenic their archetypal nonstop bid talks successful much than 3 years, nether unit from U.S. President Donald Trump to extremity Europe's deadliest struggle since World War Two.

Putin connected Sunday projected nonstop talks with Ukraine successful Turkey, but has spurned a situation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to conscionable him successful person, and alternatively has sent a squad of mid-ranking officials to the talks.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Putin "made a mistake by sending a low-level delegation".

"What we saw yesterday and overnight is yet much grounds that Putin is not superior astir peace," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said arsenic helium arrived astatine the Tirana summit.

"He's been dragging his heels, and I deliberation it's truly important therefore, that we person implicit unity with our allies. We'll beryllium moving connected that again contiguous to beryllium wide that determination indispensable beryllium a ceasefire, but besides to beryllium wide that should determination not beryllium a ceasefire, past we volition enactment unneurotic successful narration to sanctions."

(Reporting by Andrew Gray and Fatos Bytyci successful Tirana; Additional reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten, Ingrid Melander, Bart Meijer, William James and Julia Payne; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Alex Richardson)