French President, Emmanuel Macron, has issued a fresh warning that European countries are prepared to impose additional sanctions on Russia if it refuses to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Naturenex report that Macron made this known during an interview with TF1 television on Tuesday, stating that “Our intention is to impose sanctions” should Moscow ignore the ceasefire plan put forward by Ukraine’s European partners.
Recall that over the weekend, the leaders of France, Germany, Britain, and Poland jointly called on Russia to embrace a 30-day unconditional ceasefire starting from Monday.
In the midst of these developments, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has extended an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to personally take part in peace talks scheduled to hold in Turkey on Thursday. However, as of now, Moscow is yet to announce its delegation for the meeting.
Since the conflict escalated in February 2022, the European Union has rolled out 16 sets of sanctions targeting Russia, with a 17th package expected to be ratified by next Tuesday.
Interestingly, the sanctions have largely spared Russia’s financial sector and hydrocarbons industry. Macron, however, pointed out that while discussions continue around frozen Russian assets, there is “no legal framework” to confiscate them outright, describing such a move as “not a good solution.”
Addressing the ongoing situation, Macron acknowledged the limitations facing Ukraine in reclaiming territories taken by Russia since 2014. He stressed the importance of avoiding an escalation into a wider global conflict.
“We must help Ukraine defend itself but we do not want to unleash a Third World War,” Macron explained. “The war must cease and Ukraine must be in the best possible situation to go into negotiations,” he added.
He further remarked, “Even the Ukrainians have the clear-sightedness to say they do not have the capacity to retake everything that has been taken since 2014.”
It’s important to recall that before the full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia had already annexed Crimea and supported separatist forces in parts of two eastern regions of Ukraine in 2014.
