French Senate appeals to Cabinet to gradually reduce Russia sanctions

The French Senate approved on June 8 an appeal to the nation’s Cabinet to gradually reduce economic sanctions imposed by the EU against the Russian Federation, reported the eurointegration.com.ua news site. The resolution drew the support of 302 out of 348 MPs and has yet to be published as amendments will be included, the report said. The appeal follows a similar resolution by France’s National Assembly in April. The EU Council is expected to decide by the end of the month to extend sanctions against Russia. 

The same day following the vote, the Ukrainian Embassy in France called on the French Cabinet to maintain its “firmness and wisdom” in keeping sanctions imposed on the Russian government.

Zenon Zawada: While the lower chamber vote to reduce sanctions was the result of centrist MPs ignoring it, this Senate vote had the active support of its centrist forces. This is the latest sign indicating the West has been stricken with its latest bout of Ukraine fatigue, following the Dutch vote to reject the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement.

Russia is gaining the momentum in its war against Ukrainian statehood. The June 23 referendum on whether Great Britain will remain in the EU will be crucial. Although it won’t affect Ukraine directly, such a weakening of the EU will benefit Russia enormously in its geopolitical goals. This vote will either accelerate Russia’s momentum or put a halt to it.

As we’ve mentioned, we believe the Minsk accords were drafted by the Russian government not with the goal of resolving the conflict in Donbas, but to entangle the West in its latest geopolitical mess. Therefore, we believe Russia sees rising EU populism and Ukraine fatigue as just as viable an option in getting rid of the sanctions as the fulfillment of the Minsk accords, and perhaps even more so.