(Washington) “We need to define clear red lines with Russia,” said French President Emmanuel Macron, who said in an interview with the American channel CBS on Saturday that he was ready for sanctions when “unacceptable behavior” occurred.
“After unacceptable behavior, of course, we must grant,” President Macron replied, questioning the possibility of taking action against Moscow during the occupation, at a time when Russian forces were in large numbers at the Ukrainian border.
“And I think we need to define clear red lines with Russia,” he said.
While confirming that sanctions alone are “not enough” and that “constructive dialogue” is best, Emmanuel Macron assures that they are the “only way to be trusted”.
We need a clear and open dialogue with Russia.
Emmanuel Macron, President of France
Russia is close to the border with Ukraine and in Crimea, a peninsula that Moscow occupied in 2014, and there have been allegations of a recent resumption of fighting, which has almost ceased since the end of a treaty in the summer of 2020.
Renewing his proposal for a summit with Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced tough economic sanctions on Russia and the expulsion of ten Russian diplomats.
These sanctions are in response to cyber-attacks and interference in the 2020 US presidential election. Eight individuals and organizations associated with the “occupation” of the Crimea were also granted.
On Friday, Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky and called on Russia to withdraw its troops from the border to work quickly towards “de-escalation”.
The full interview with Emmanuel Macron will air Sunday.
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