European Leaders Insists On Russia’s Sanctions Amid Lifting Pressure

European allies of Ukraine insisted on sanctions against Russia, saying that this is not the time for lifting sanctions on Russia, in a clear message to the Trump administration as Moscow pushes Washington for concessions ahead of signing a US brokered deal on ending the fighting in the Black Sea.

The leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany all affirmed at a summit on Thursday that Europe will not lift sanctions on Russia – a strong and seemingly coordinated nod to the Trump administration, which has said it is still evaluating the Kremlin’s demands.

They spoke after a meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” in Paris which discussed how to bolster support for Kyiv and what role they might play if a peace deal is struck with Russia.

The Trump administration’s willingness to embrace Moscow as he seeks a quick end to the war against Ukraine, which has included vocal support for key Russian demands even before talks had even begun, has alarmed European allies.

“There is complete clarity that now is not the time for lifting of sanctions,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

Starmer said the meeting involved more than 30 countries, including Ukraine’s European allies and NATO officials. He described the meeting as “very constructive.”

Echoing Starmer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said stopping sanctions would be a “serious mistake.”

“There was absolute clarity that Russia is trying to delay, is playing games. And we have to be absolutely clear about that,” Starmer added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also called for “more pressure” and “more packages of sanctions” on Russia.

“All 31 votes today supported that there will be no lifting of any sanctions against Russia until this war ends in a just peace,” Zelensky said in a press conference from Paris.

‘Reassurance Forces’

France also shed more light on a proposal to send forces drawn from European armies to Ukraine in the event that a ceasefire is reached.

France and the United Kingdom previously floated the idea of sending peacekeepers to Ukraine and said they would be willing to put boots on the ground. But their latest discussions have honed in on an alternate term: “reassurance forces.”

“These would be forces from a number of states … present in strategic locations pre-identified with the Ukrainians which would provide long-term support, reassurance for the armies and act as a deterrent to potential Russian aggression,” Macron said Thursday, adding that the forces would never serve as a “substitution for the Ukrainian army.”

Regarding support for the “reassurance forces,” Macron said: “It was not unanimous today, as we all know, and we don’t need unanimity.”

CNN/Ejiofor Ezeifeoma