German minister urges US to 'finally' slam new sanctions on Russia

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Tuesday called on Washington to finally impose further sanctions on Moscow, following the recent incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace.

"Anyone who clearly sees themselves on the side of freedom, and no country does this as convincingly as the United States of America, must act now," Wadephul said in Berlin, speaking alongside Swedish counterpart Maria Malmer Stenergard.

The Swedish minister backed her German colleague, calling on Ukraine's allies to expand support for Kiev.

Last week, at least 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, marking the first time Polish and NATO forces shot down drones over NATO member Poland. Debris was scattered across the country, hundreds of kilometres from the eastern border.

That was followed by further incidents reported in Poland and Romania days later.

Wadephul noted that the Trump administration had been announcing fresh Russian sanctions for months, calling on Washington to "finally make this happen".

"We know that over 90 senators are determined to do so. And I wonder why this is not being implemented," he said, referring to support for new sanctions in the US Senate.

According to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, the senate has prepared draft legislation for far-reaching sanctions including steep tariffs on countries buying Russian oil, gas and other energy, like China.

According to Graham, the plans enjoy widespread bipartisan support by more than 80 senators.

Wadephul also emphasized that he hoped another package of EU sanctions on Russia that's currently in the works can be agreed quickly.