This Sunday once more, the situation in Ukraine has seen many twists, with Russian forces still trying to invade the country’s major cities. At the same time, President Vladimir Putin reacted to Western sanctions by brandishing the nuclear threat. What worry Europe, which has further hardened the tone. In France, these developments require once once more to meet in the Defense Council, said the Elysée. The latter will be held Monday at 11 a.m. around Emmanuel Macron.
Already a series of sanctions announced
“This Defense Council is a follow-up to the council of Saturday February 26, during which important decisions were taken”, specifies the Élysée. Paris had decided the day before to strengthen its support for Ukraine, in particular in defense equipment, and to toughen its sanctions once morest Russia, aimed in particular at access to the Swift interbank platform, following the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army.
These decisions were accompanied by a set of new Western sanctions taken in particular at the level of the European Union, under the French presidency this semester, and the G7 forum, currently chaired by Germany. On the military level, Paris decided on Saturday “the additional delivery of defense equipment to the Ukrainian authorities as well as fuel support”, indicated the presidency, without giving details on the type of these armaments.
Ukraine recently submitted to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces a list of military equipment, in particular anti-aircraft defense, which it urgently needs.
Targeted Russian propaganda
During the same Defense Council on Saturday, “measures to fight once morest propaganda from Russian influencers and media on European soil” were also recorded, according to the Elysee. Russian state media Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik have since been banned from the European Union in a decision announced on Sunday by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The Élysée Palace also communicated on Sunday on numerous diplomatic talks conducted by Emmanuel Macron.
The Head of State spoke in the morning with Mrs. Von der Leyen, then with the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
In the followingnoon, he continued these consultations with Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, with the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The United Arab Emirates – which abstained on Friday during the vote on a resolution at the UN calling for the withdrawal of the Russian army from Ukraine, despite pressure from France which hoped for their favorable vote – take the rotating presidency of the Security Council Tuesday for the month of March.
