French President Emmanuel Macron has urged the United States to impose sanctions on Russia if Moscow confirms that it is not willing to make peace.
President Donald Trump has threatened earlier to impose new sanctions if Russia fails to cooperate in ceasefire talks over Ukraine. After three months of failed attempts to reach a deal with Russia over the war in Ukraine, Trump recently warned that he would decide within “about two weeks” whether Putin is serious about a ceasefire. This follows a call in which Putin promised to provide a Russian memorandum within one week — a promise he has yet to fulfill.
Speaking in Singapore ahead of the Shangri-La Dialogue forum, Macron said this would be “a test of credibility for the Americans,” according to BFMTV.
“If Russia confirms that it is not ready to make peace, Washington must confirm its commitment to sanction Moscow,” Macron told journalists during his visit to Southeast Asia.
The French president also said he had spoken with Donald Trump 48 hours earlier. “President Trump expressed his impatience. The question now is: what do we do with that? We, the Europeans, are ready,” he said.
Macron claimed that Europe’s position remains stable. “They are constant and they are reliable,” he said. “We have not changed. We still believe in international order, in cooperation, in open trade, and in respect for rules.”
On the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Macron met with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. The visit is part of Macron’s broader diplomatic tour in Southeast Asia.
Macron’s remarks come as a second round of peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia is planned for early June. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on 29 May that Russia’s delegation for the 2 June meeting will be the same as in the previous round. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is willing to meet Putin in person.
The US position remains uncertain. President Trump has considered additional sanctions against Russia. However, he recently said he would avoid them if they could “spoil” a potential deal.