Russia sanctions 'must be lifted now' - Hollande
French President Francois Hollande is wary of the impact economic crisis in Russia might have on Europe. He has called for sanctions imposed against Moscow to be lifted as soon as there’s progress in peace talks over Ukraine.
“If Russia has a crisis, it is not necessarily good for
Europe,” Hollande said during a two-hour interview with
radio station France Inter. “I'm not for the policy of
attaining goals by making things worse, I think that sanctions
must stop now.”
READ MORE: More Russia sanctions to provoke
‘dangerous situation’ in Europe – German vice-chancellor
Hollande said he wanted to make sure there’s progress in peace
talks over the situation in Ukraine, before putting an end to
sanctions.
He said he hopes to see signs of mutual understanding at the
January 15 talks in Astana, Kazakhstan. The meeting is being
organized by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and Russian
President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are
expected to be among the participants.
Moscow has repeatedly said it was doing all in its power to
facilitate the peace process in eastern Ukraine. A major
breakthrough was achieved during September’s Minsk peace talks,
brokered by Russia.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has sarcastically
described western sanctions, also announced in September, as
“a ‘reward’ for Russia’s role in the Minsk agreements and
more generally for its part in organizing the meeting.”
Another round of peace talks in Minsk took place in December. The
negotiations, which brought no breakthrough in the crisis, were
overshadowed by Ukrainian parliament voting to revoke the
country’s “nonaligned” status, paving its way for closer
ties with NATO and eventual full membership.
READ
MORE: 'Difficult' new Ukraine peace talks begin in Minsk as Kiev
sets course for NATO
Hollande said he understands that Kiev’s striving for NATO
membership can hardly contribute to the peace process.
“Mr. Putin does not want to annex eastern Ukraine. I am sure.
He told me so,” Hollande told France Inter. “What he
wants is to remain influential. What Mr. Putin wants is that
Ukraine does not become a member of NATO. The idea of Mr Putin is
not to have an army at Russia’s borders.”
The Ukrainian crisis has strained relations between Russia and
France, with Paris putting on hold the delivery of Mistral
helicopter-carrying amphibious assault ships to Moscow.
Hollande decided to suspend the delivery of the first such ship
"until further notice" in late November, despite the
fact that the move might hit the French economy hard.
France is facing a multibillion-dollar fine if it fails to
deliver the ships under the terms of the contract. The delay of
the warships’ delivery has also reportedly entailed additional
costs for Paris.
READ MORE: Delay in ‘Mistral’ deliveries causing
France ‘significant cost’ – reports
