Allied nations meeting in the French capital on Thursday, in the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, firmly rejected any notion of lifting sanctions against Russia. Instead, they agreed to strengthen sanctions further, aiming to increase pressure on Moscow over its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The three-hour summit focused on defining long-term security guarantees for Kyiv, including the potential future deployment of European military forces as part of a hypothetical peace agreement.
“Russia wants no kind of peace,” warned President Zelensky during the closing remarks of the summit, cautioning that lifting sanctions now would be a disaster for diplomacy.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who convened the summit, confirmed that Ukraine’s allies had unanimously agreed to continue supporting Ukraine’s military and to maintain — and even tighten — sanctions against Moscow.
Macron also emphasized the coalition’s commitment to targeting Russia’s “shadow fleet” of tankers, which help the country export oil in defiance of international sanctions.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, speaking from Paris, echoed the sentiment, stating that lifting sanctions at this time would be a “serious mistake.”
“There is no point in ending sanctions before peace is achieved,” Scholz said. “Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also reinforced the message, saying that now is not the time to consider lifting sanctions against Russia.
Source: ANA-MPA, Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
