By Harriet Torry

BERLIN--Germany's Economics Minister on Wednesday said he expects the broad economic sanctions against Russia imposed by the European Union "to show very quick effect," and said the measures are "urgently necessary" despite potential adverse effects on Germany's export-driven economy.

"We know that we may suffer from them economically, we know that foreign trade with Russia isn't excessively large although it has significance... [but] we should not allow war and civil war to expand on this continent out of fear of economic consequences," Sigmar Gabriel told reporters.

"Now the pressure must finally be raised to get everyone to the negotiating table," he added.

The West adopted much tougher sanctions against Russia targeting banks, oil industry and military because of the country's involvement in the crisis in Ukraine, in the hope that the action will prompt Russian President Vladimir Putin to change his stance.

In comments to reporters in Berlin, Mr. Gabriel emphasized the "extraordinary importance" of the sanctions' pressure on influential Russian oligarchs.

"They [the oligarchs] need to know that they won't be left in peace so to speak" to invest, deposit money, travel and enjoy democratic freedoms in Europe, the economics minister said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel previously said Tuesday's move was "unavoidable" given what she described as Russia's continued destabilization of eastern Ukraine. "It is now up to the Russian leadership to decide whether it wants to take the path of de-escalation and cooperation," Ms. Merkel said. "The EU's sanctions can be reviewed, but additional steps are also possible."

Write to Harriet Torry at harriet.torry@wsj.com