Europe and US to tighten sanctions if Russia rejects peace talks, says Macron

Macron said that Europe and the United States are calling for a meeting between Ukraine and Russia at the level of leaders.

"If Russia continues to refuse concrete peace negotiations — and this is precisely the conclusion that can be drawn from its choices and repeated actions since March of last year — then we will introduce additional sanctions jointly with the United States of America and give a clear response to this unwillingness to move forward," Macron said.

He noted that the goal of the Western countries is for Ukraine to be restored in its rights, for aggression not to be rewarded, and for violations of international law not to be entrenched in any form. The president specified that this concerns adherence to international law, the security of Ukraine, as well as the security of Europe.

Macron also confirmed that US President Donald Trump expressed concern that Hungary and Slovakia continue to buy Russian oil.

"I think this is good, because sometimes these countries justified themselves by the closeness of the new American administration. Therefore, the coordination of actions between the United States and Europe will make the cessation of this practice much more effective," he added.

Macron said that during the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, both primary sanctions (against the Russian economy) and secondary sanctions (against countries that help Russia circumvent restrictions) were discussed. Work on this issue will be carried out in a technical format.