Paris:
French Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barott said Thursday that the European Union is preparing to strike Russia with its 17th sanctions, describing President Vladimir Putin as the “only obstacle” to Ukraine's peace.
The 27-nation bloc has imposed unprecedented penalties on Russia in response to its invasion, and said this year Putin will not lift sanctions before the “unconditional” withdrawal of troops from Ukraine.
“We Europeans have committed to this American (sanctions) initiative with a 17th sanctions package and yesterday (US Senator) Lindsey Graham to try and coordinate both the substance and timing of these two sanctions packages,” Barott told AFP in an interview.
Graham has gathered dozens of lawmakers from both parties to support plans to impose additional sanctions on Moscow and plans to impose tariffs on countries that purchase Russia's energy, the Wall Street Journal reports.
During an interview, Barott targeted the Russian president, saying, “It is now clear that Vladimir Putin is the only obstacle to peace in Ukraine today.”
Moscow's military launched a full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 to seize controls that Kiev had blocked, with the help of international support provided primarily by the US and countries of Europe.
Ukraine “accepted an unconditional ceasefire and agreed to sign an important mineral agreement with the United States yesterday,” Barott said.
It “according to Ukraine's expectations that, according to a statement by Ukrainian officials, I am in response to Ukraine's expectations that we will engage in economic cooperation with the US as well as other countries,” he said.
– Russia: “I didn't try” –
“On the other hand, Vladimir Putin's Russia has not made any effort, and has not sent any indications that President Donald Trump is aiming for a ceasefire or peace, and of course the Ukrainians want it,” Barott said.
The French minister did not rule out the possibility that France, who said it had “expertise” in rare earth minerals, would conclude an economic agreement with Ukraine.
Washington's deal with Kiev will see the US and Ukraine jointly develop and invest in key mineral resources in a war-covered country.
Ukraine hopes that the deal will ultimately pave the way for security assurances from the US as it seeks to protect against future Russian attacks.
Barott spoke with AFP shortly after meeting with US counterpart Marcorbio and said he welcomed his honest talk.
“We had filterless exchanges that allowed us to coordinate closely, but we were able to acknowledge the convergence of our targets regarding regional and international crises, as we wanted to act in concerts,” the French minister said.
State Department spokesman Tammy Bruce said Barot and Rubio met “to pursue the path to peace in Ukraine.”
“The secretary made it clear that President Trump is focusing on stopping the meaningless bloodshed in Ukraine and confirmed the US's commitment to working closely with French and other European partners to ensure lasting peace,” she added.
For Barott, “This is a critical moment for Europe.”
He said French President Emmanuel Macron has been seeking strategic autonomy in Europe and “the European pillar of NATO” for years.
Regarding the tariffs imposed by Washington, Barot called “a call for a break-escalation so that he could return to circumstances ahead of the decisions that the Trump administration had made in the interests of both the US and Europe.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published by Syndicate Feed.)
