Macron Declares Sixth Russia 'Historic.' Package of Sanctions

After a European summit held in Brussels on Tuesday, May 31st, focused on support for Ukraine as well as sanctions against Russia, Emmanuel Macron briefly answered press questions.

Macron Declares Sixth Russia 'Historic.' Package of Sanctions

After a European summit held in Brussels on Tuesday, May 31st, focused on support for Ukraine as well as sanctions against Russia, Emmanuel Macron briefly answered press questions. He reaffirmed the Twenty-Seven's decision to cut their Russian oil imports by two-thirds by the end the year.

The leaders of 27 European Union countries announced a sixth package of sanctions on Monday. They notably agreed to stop the export of Russian oil to Europe at 90% by the end the year, in order to reduce funding for Moscow's war against Ukraine.

At the summit in Brussels, the Heads of Government and State have approved a gradual cessation to imports of Russian oil by boat. Two thirds of European oil purchases are made by boat. To lift Budapest's veto, a temporary exemption was granted for oil transported via pipeline.

Emmanuel Macron indicated that the sanctions package will allow for "to sanction more 80 oligarchs, ban 3 television stations, and get out Swift the first Russian Bank which represents 35% on the Russian market".

The head of state stated that it was a very structured measure that would fundamentally alter the way Europeans obtain their supplies. "We sanction Russia and help Ukraine because Russia has declared war on our continent against a nation, against democracy. He stated that our goal is to end the war and not participate in it. Emmanuel Macron considered this sixth package "historical" and said that it should not be excluded from a possible seventh round of sanctions against Moscow.

Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, also recalled that the 27 had granted 9 billion euros to Ukraine's government to cover its immediate cash requirements to run its economy.

The Head of State paid tribute Frederic Leclerc Imhoff, journalist who was "murdered on Ukrainian territory" during a Russian bombardment. He was filming an evacuation of civilians. Emmanuel Macron insisted that journalists, civils and humanitarians must be protected on battlefields. He concluded that "this subject will not be ignored, and we will take all measures" to investigate Frederic Leclerc–Imhoff's disappearance.

The Head of State wanted "to condemn in the strongest terms" Russian officials' "unacceptable" comments regarding the journalist's presence in eastern Ukraine. The Russian news agency Tass reported the words of Andrey Moschko, a proRussian separatist leader of LPR (People's Republic of Lugansk), claiming he wasn't a journalist, but "a foreign mercenary" engaged in weapons delivery for the Ukrainian army.

Monday night, the French national anti-terrorist prosecutor announced the opening of a judicial probe for "war crimes" after Frederic Leclerc–Imhoff's death and Maxime Brandstaetter's injury. According to RSF, eight journalists died while in the field performing their profession since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.