"Massive" sanctions European leaders threatened to impose on Russia if Vladimir Putin does not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine face formidable political obstacles and would need U.S. support to succeed,

"We are waiting for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's agreement and we agree that if there is no real progress this week, we want to work together at European level for a significant tightening of sanctions," Merz said at a news conference with his Greek counterpart.

Brussels holds Rama in high esteem, with EU officials praising him for his diplomatic skills and sharp wit. A reflection of this is the fact that Albania, within a year, has opened a majority of the EU accession chapters and is set to open some more by the end of this month.