Paris, Berlin could discus sanctions against Moscow at EU summit

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that she does not rule out the discussion of anti-Russian sanctions at the EU summit.

"No options, including that of sanctions, can be taken off the table" Merkel said at a joint press conference with French President Francois Hollande in Berlin after a meeting of Normandy Four leaders (Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia) and trilateral talks (Germany, France and Russia) on the situation in Syria.

Merkel said that trilateral talks on Syria were tough. Merkel said that she believes that it is unlikely that there would be any step forward in the ceasefire issue in Syria in the near term.

Merkel condemned the air raids on Syria’s Aleppo as "inhumane and cruel."

She said that ceasefire is needed to supply humanitarian aid to Aleppo and foreign ministers will work on the issue.

The German chancellor said that Russia must press on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to guarantee safety for civilian population in Aleppo. She said that Russia is responsible for the start of the political settlement of the situation in Syria.

“Everything that can constitute a threat can be useful," Hollande said at a press conference, commenting on the possibility of discussing sanctions against Russia.

"What is happening in Aleppo is a war crime; one of the first demands is that the bombardments by the regime and its [Russian] backers must end," he said.

He said that international pressure on the Syrian regime and those who support it would continue.