PARIS (Reuters) – Vladimir Putin must understand that NATO is “also a nuclear alliance”, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told TF1 on Thursday after the launch of the army offensive. in Ukraine, while claiming to favor the strategy of economic sanctions over that of military intervention.
“President Putin has denied Russia’s signature since all the acts that are taken are in breach of the commitments made by Russia,” said the head of French diplomacy. “He also breaks his personal commitments with each other, he is a cynic and he is a dictator.”
“I think Vladimir Putin must also understand that the Atlantic Alliance is a nuclear alliance. I won’t say more about it,” he added in response to the Russian president’s threats about the consequences of any outside interference in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
While the Heads of State and Government of the European Union were meeting in Brussels to discuss new punitive measures against Moscow, Jean-Yves Le Drian defended the effectiveness of economic sanctions.
“Stifling Russia, hitting her in the heart with economic and financial measures will, in the long run, be much stronger than any intervention,” he said.
“The set of measures that are going to be taken are very massive, very spectacular, very heavy and are going to be very effective, I think.”
US President Joe Biden had also shortly before ruled out direct military intervention in Ukraine while announcing sanctions against Russia.
(Written by Jean-Stéphane Brosse and Marc Angrand, edited by Jean-Michel Bélot)
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