France said on Monday that leaders at a meeting on Ukraine this weekend had asked the European Commission to put together new "massive" sanctions targeting Russia's oil and financial sector if Russia failed to agree a ceasefire, APA reports citing Reuters.
The EU is already working on a 17th sanctions package that it aims to adopt by the next foreign ministers meeting on May 20, but speaking to reporters in Normandy Jean-Noel Barrot said work had also started on tougher measures beyond that package.
"What we are preparing are additional sanctions which target the energy and financial sector. We asked this weekend for the European Commission to prepare new more important sanctions to force Russian President Vladimir Putin into a peace logic," Barrot said after a telephone call with European counterparts and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"We support the idea of a contact between President Zelenskiy and President Putin. Putin proposed a direct contact with Zelenskiy and Zelenskiy accepted so Putin must keep to his part of contract and go to Istanbul Thursday," Barrot said.
He said that for serious discussions to happen there needed to be a ceasefire because it was not possible to negotiate amid air strikes and drones.
"We are preparing powerful and massive sanctions if he doesn't accept a ceasefire," Barrot said.
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