Invited to the morning of Europe 1, the Minister of the Economy stressed the importance of this measure to dry up Moscow’s sources of income.
“We have always said with Emmanuel Macron that we want an embargo on coal, it’s done, and one on Russian oil.As Russia steps up its operations on Ukraine’s eastern front, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire reiterated the importance of drying up Moscow’s sources of revenue. “What is the first source of currency for several years for the power of Vladimir Putin, it’s not gas, it’s oil“, he pointed.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: a European embargo on Russian oil “will take months”
A measure that would already be in force without the hesitation of some countries. “We are trying to convince our European partners“, because “if we are not there (…) it is because some European partners still have hesitations“, underlines the Minister of the Economy, without mentioning the names.
Read alsoOil closes higher: where there is talk of a European embargo
However, he said to himself,convinced that the reality of the situation in Ukraine will move the lines“. The Russians are indeed putting more pressure than ever on the eastern front of Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky thus announced yesterday the start of the offensive to take control of Donbass in particular. “Now we can say that Russian troops have started the battle for Donbass, for which they have been preparing for a long time. A very large part of the entire Russian army is now devoted to this offensive”he said in a speech broadcast on Telegram. “No matter how many Russian soldiers are brought here, we will fight. We will defend ourselves”he claimed, after having warned the day before that“they literally want to complete and destroy the Donbass”.