France urges EU to impose "harshest sanctions" on Russia

In response to Russia’s brutal attack on civilians in Sumy, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called on the European Union to impose the most severe sanctions possible against Russia. He emphasized that such measures are essential to undermining the Russian economy and preventing further military escalation.

Barrot made the statement during the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on April 14, according to a European Pravda correspondent.

Barrot called on EU states to impose the toughest sanctions on Russia in response to Vladimir Putin's disregard for civilian lives and the laws of war.

Jean-Noël Barrot said that the horrors in Ukraine had reached their peak that weekend when a mass killing took place on Palm Sunday. He stated that in the northeast of the country, innocent civilians had been targeted twice by Vladimir Putin's missiles. According to him, this served as further proof — if any was still needed — of Putin's disregard for civilians and the laws of war.

He reminded that an arrest warrant has been issued for Putin by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.

France's Foreign Minister emphasized that although Ukraine had agreed to a ceasefire over a month earlier, it was clear that Putin had no intention of following the same path. Therefore, he argued, Putin had to be forced to do so. For this reason, he urged the European Union to impose the harshest possible sanctions against Russia in order to prevent it from sustaining its military efforts.

He expressed hope that the United States, which has invested much time and energy in trying to secure a ceasefire, as well as President Trump himself, can also use sanctions as a means to force Vladimir Putin to sit down at the negotiating table.

• On the morning of Sunday, April 13, Russian troops launched a missile strike on the city of Sumy, killing and injuring dozens of civilians, including children.