French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to keep up pressure on Russia’s war machine despite the United States temporarily easing curbs on Russian oil sales, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Paris amid rising global energy prices and fresh shocks from the Middle East war.
Speaking alongside Zelensky after talks in Paris — the Ukrainian leader’s 12th visit to France since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 — Macron said there would be no “respite” for Moscow. “During a meeting of the Group of Seven countries earlier this week, we reaffirmed rising oil prices must under no circumstances lead us to reconsider our sanctions policy towards Russia,” he said.
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Washington has temporarily allowed the sale of Russian oil that is already at sea, an attempt to cool crude prices that have climbed above $100 a barrel following U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran late last month and the ensuing regional flare-up. Kyiv’s allies fear any relief on Russian energy exports could funnel revenue to the Kremlin and blunt the impact of sanctions.
Zelensky warned the U.S. move could hand Moscow a financial windfall. “This one concession alone by the United States could give Russia about $10 billion for the war. This certainly does not help peace,” he said.
Paris said the leaders discussed new measures to target Russia’s “shadow fleet” of tankers that move oil in violation of sanctions. The Kremlin, which earlier dismissed the Paris meeting and said the idea of pressuring Russia was “absurd,” has long denied circumventing restrictions.
European divisions over Ukraine policy resurfaced as leaders reacted to Washington’s step. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said “easing sanctions now, for whatever reason, is wrong,” adding that six members of the G7 had made clear in a recent call with U.S. President Donald Trump that such a move “would not send the right signal.” Macron separately underscored that softening penalties on Moscow is “in no way” justified.
The diplomatic turbulence comes as efforts to broker talks between Kyiv and Moscow have stalled since the outbreak of the Iran crisis. “Today Russia may believe that the war in Iran will offer it respite. It is mistaken,” Macron said.
On the ground, Russia’s invasion — now in its fourth year and the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II — continued to exact a heavy toll. A Russian strike in eastern Ukraine killed three people on a bus near the embattled town of Kupiansk, Ukrainian authorities said. The Kremlin has repeatedly claimed it does not target civilians.
Macron pledged to push through a vital €90 billion European Union loan to Ukraine, saying “this commitment will be honoured,” after Hungary blocked the package along with a fresh sanctions round. Without detailing specifics, he also promised to step up weapons support and praised Ukraine’s “remarkable tenacity and courage” in resisting Russia’s assault.
Energy tensions hovered over the talks. Hungary and Slovakia have accused Kyiv of dragging its feet on reopening the Druzhba oil pipeline — damaged by Russian strikes in January — that supplies the two landlocked nations. Brussels said it has proposed a mission to inspect the blocked line and is awaiting Ukraine’s response.
Beyond Europe, Macron announced the first French military fatality of the Middle East war, a soldier killed in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region in what his commanding officer described as an Iranian drone attack. The French president stressed that France’s posture in the region remains “purely defensive.” Zelensky, in a post on X, called it a “despicable attack” and urged Iran to halt aggression against its neighbors.
Zelensky traveled to Romania earlier this week, where he agreed to launch joint drone production with Bucharest and proposed developing anti-drone defenses with European partners — part of a broader effort to counter Russia’s evolving tactics and maintain momentum as Europe wrestles with sanctions unity and energy security.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
