French Finance Minister Bruno Le Mer has said he hopes to persuade European partners to impose an embargo on Russian oil supplies.
French President Emmanuel Macron is in favor of such a measure, the minister said on Europe-1 radio. “We have always said with President Emmanuel Macron that we want an embargo on Russian oil,” the French minister said, adding that it was crucial to persuading other European countries that are heavily dependent on Russian supplies to impose such sanctions.
“I hope that in the coming weeks we will persuade our European partners to stop importing Russian oil,” Le Mer told Radio Europe 1. Europe depends on Russian gas, but France does not need it and will continue to promote sanctions on the supply of natural gas from Russia.
Macron added that his country is working to buy gas in other markets. Some time ago, however, German Foreign Minister Analena Berbock said it was difficult to completely ban all energy imports from Russia, and said the issue needed to be discussed to reach a joint solution. Burbock said the EU must take into account how dependent some of its members are on Russian oil before deciding to impose an embargo on Russian oil. She called on the other members of the union to discuss the issue and reach a joint solution. Burbock also stressed that Germany itself uses large amounts of Russian oil.
Emmanuel Macron and Marin Le Pen are facing a decisive televised debate
French presidential candidates Emmanuel Macron and Marin Le Pen are facing a crucial televised debate ahead of Sunday’s run-off. The two are facing each other for the second time since the elections five years ago.
The 1,000-square-foot television podium is ready for the final verbal match between Emmanuel Macron and Marin Le Pen before Sunday’s runoff. It is up to the far-right contender to start the debate on purchasing power and the current president to have the final say. Twenty minutes each is devoted to international politics, Europe, security, immigration, education, and the environment.
Marine Le Pen, who completely failed in the election five years ago in the debate against Macron, is preparing for a strong rematch. She is expected to be more moderate and focus on social issues, attacking Macron for weaknesses in his presidency as he prepares to overthrow her agenda, especially her Russian ties and closeness to President Putin before the war. Polls show a lead for Macron, but if he won convincingly by 66% five years ago, the context is different today, and social discontent weighs on the vote on which France’s future depends.
Macron: France does not need Russian gas
France will support a full oil and gas embargo on the Russian Federation. This was said by the President of the French state Emmanuel Macron during an interview with the TV channel “France 5”.
Emmanuel Macron also denied reports that it was on his initiative that the issue of the Russian oil embargo was postponed until the end of the presidential election and recalled his position that Europeans should stop buying oil and gas from Russia to “weaken Moscow’s ability.” to finance the war. France is not dependent on Russian gas supplies, so another country is blocking the embargo, Macron added, adding that “the European market is interconnected” and “Europe depends on Russian gas” in general.
On Monday, Macron said he had not held any talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin since revelations about the Bucha massacre. “After the massacres, we found in Bucha and other cities, the war took a different turn, so I haven’t spoken to him directly since, but I don’t rule out that I will do so in the future,” he said. Following the publication of information about the atrocities in Bucha, Macron called for tougher sanctions against Russia and “impose restrictions on imports of Russian oil and coal.”
