Source: France-Diplomatie – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development
Published on May 13, 2025
Statements to the press by M. Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, on the sidelines of his visit to Calvados department (Caen, May 12, 2025)
Can you confirm that you had a call today with Marco Rubio and other foreign-minister counterparts? And what was the nature of these discussions?
THE MINISTER – Yes, at President Macron’s request, I spoke to my counterpart the US Secretary of State [and] the foreign ministers of the European countries present in Kyiv at the weekend, then the Ukrainian minister. We reiterated our desire to see an immediate, unconditional 30-day ceasefire. And then we signalled our support for the idea of a meeting on Thursday between President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and President Putin of Russia.
Vladimir Putin declared today that any ultimatum was unacceptable. What do you say to him?
THE MINISTER – I say that Vladimir Putin proposed a direct meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to it. Vladimir Putin must now keep to his part of the bargain. He must turn up in Istanbul on Thursday for a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Then, in order for discussions to take place calmly and lead to peace, there absolutely must be a ceasefire, because you can’t negotiate while under attack from bombs or drones.
If this doesn’t happen, what sanctions could there be?
THE MINISTER – We’re preparing to put in place particularly powerful, massive sanctions that would force Vladimir Putin to observe a ceasefire if he didn’t move towards one. These sanctions would be coordinated with the American sanctions that the American senators have prepared, with 500% tariffs on oil imports and on countries importing Russian oil today.
And France, specifically?
THE MINISTER – We adopt sanctions at European level. We’ve adopted 17 sanctions packages targeting Russian entities and individuals helping to circumvent the sanctions, helping to destabilize European public opinion, and also the financial institutions, the energy institutions. What we’re preparing are additional sanctions that will be massive and target the energy and financial sectors.
Can you give details of these sanctions on the oil sectors, for example?
THE MINISTER – A number of sanctions have already been adopted, and at the weekend, following the discussions that took place in Kyiv, we asked the European Commission to prepare further, even more substantial sanctions to force Vladimir Putin to begin a peace process.
On gas and oil?
THE MINISTER – On oil, in particular, which now accounts for 25% of Russia’s budget.
Donald Trump said he’s ready to join the negotiations. Is that a good thing?
THE MINISTER – He’s obviously welcome. He was the one from the outset who proposed an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in the air, at sea and on land – a proposal accepted by the Ukrainians two months ago now, and which Vladimir Putin must now in turn accept./.