Europe to sanction Russia in days if Moscow rejects ceasefire: Macron
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French President Emmanuel Macron warns that Europe will impose tougher economic sanctions on Russia if it refuses Ukraine’s proposed 30-day ceasefire, amid rising pressure from Western leaders in Kiev.
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French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to journalists at the memorial of fallen Ukrainian soldiers at independence square in Kiev, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP)
If Moscow rejects the terms of the Ukraine-proposed 30-day ceasefire, a new European sanctions package against Russia could be adopted within days, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday.
"The decision we must take collectively is to say: if Russia does not commit to this 30-day ceasefire and these discussions, we must be able to impose additional sanctions that are much tougher on the Russian economy, even dissuasive in some way," the French President said during an interview with TF1 and LCI.
Earlier in the day, Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived in Kiev for a meeting of the "coalition of the willing", with the leaders threatening Russia in a joint statement released ahead of the gathering with sanctions if it did not accept Kiev’s ceasefire terms.
"The first objective is to achieve peace, however precarious and temporary, for 30 days, which will enable us to start discussions on building a lasting, robust agreement that will provide security guarantees to prevent Russia from going further," Macron said.
This closely follows Russia signalling that one of its key conditions for agreeing to a ceasefire would be the suspension of Western arms shipments to Ukraine.
Russia ties ceasefire to halting of EU, US shipments
Russia would demand that US and European arms supplies to Ukraine be stopped during any potential ceasefire, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with ABC News.
"Otherwise, it will be an advantage for Ukraine. Ukraine will continue their total mobilisation, bringing new troops to (the) frontline," Peskov stated on Saturday, noting that Kiev would use the chance to continue its "total mobilization" and flood the frontlines with new troops.
"A ceasefire was supported by President Putin, but he asked several questions. He said that right now we have certain dynamics on the front, Russian troops are advancing, and advancing in quite a confident way," Peskov emphasized.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump called on Russia and Ukraine to "get this stupid war finished," advocating for a 30-day ceasefire, a proposal Ukraine indicated it was open to accepting.
However, Peskov, in the interview, reiterated long-standing Russian reservations, echoing concerns that Putin had first voiced publicly on March 13 and later reaffirmed during a March 18 phone call with Trump.
