Russia will be one of the themes of the interview with Emmanuel Macron, broadcast on Sunday, April 18, at 4:30 p.m. (Paris time), by the American channel. CBS. “We must define clear red lines with Russia”, said the President of the Republic, saying he was ready for sanctions in the event of “Unacceptable behavior” in an excerpt from the interview aired on Saturday.
“I think that after unacceptable behavior, indeed, we must sanction”, replied Mr. Macron, questioned about the possibility of measures against Moscow in the event of an invasion, at a time when Russian troops are increasingly numerous on the Ukrainian border. “And I think we have to define clear red lines with Russia”, he continued.
While asserting that the sanctions alone “Are not sufficient” and that a “Constructive dialogue” is preferable, Mr. Macron assured that they constitute “The only way to be credible”. “We need a frank and open dialogue with Russia”, he added.
Call for de-escalation
Russia is accused of having deployed tens of thousands of soldiers near its border with Ukraine and in Crimea, a peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014. The fighting, almost at a standstill since a truce concluded in the summer of 2020 , have recently resumed.
On Thursday, US President Joe Biden announced a series of tough financial sanctions against Russia and the expulsion of ten Russian diplomats, while renewing his proposal for a summit with Vladimir Putin. These sanctions are a response to cyber attacks and interference in the 2020 US presidential election. Eight individuals and entities linked to “The occupation” of Crimea were also sanctioned.
On Friday, Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave their support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and called on Russia to withdraw its troops stationed at the border in order to quickly work towards a ” de-escalation “.