The EU is to give Russia more time to render the sanctions superfluous. While the EU member states have now agreed on a package of measures, the new sanctions will only come into force "in the next few days", reported European Council President Herman Van Rompuy on Monday evening. This will also give the EU time to assess the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the peace plan for eastern Ukraine.

In the summer interview with German broadcaster SAT1, Chancellor Angela Merkel said, "Parallel to all the steps involving sanctions and to stepping up military presence, we are saying that the door remains open for talks." She also stressed, "Sanctions are the means of choice if we say that military action is out of the question."

Meeting in Brussels on Friday, COREPER, the Committee of Permanent Representatives of EU member states, agreed on a package of additional sanctions on Russia. The European Council mandated COREPER to do so on 30 August.

On Monday, federal government spokesperson Steffen Seibert stated that the precise nature of the sanctions would only be announced on completion of the procedure.

Ceasefire alone not enough, says Chancellor

At the NATO summit in Wales Chancellor Angela Merkel commented on the question of a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, which was at this point still hypothetical. "A decision alone does not ensure a de facto ceasefire; many other processes must follow."

We must ascertain whether or not the ceasefire is in place, whether any Russian troops in Ukraine have withdrawn, whether or not there are buffer zones and similar facilities, she explained. A lot still needs to be regulated, so it must be assumed that these sanctions could well come into effect, said Angela Merkel. "Everything is still in flux." Should it, however, become apparent that this process is genuinely moving forward, the sanctions could be suspended once again.