Source: International Business Times
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (L) met with his US counterpart Marco Rubio at the Department of State in Washington, DC on May 1, 2025 AFP French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Thursday that the European Union is preparing to hit Russia with a 17th round of sanctions, describing President Vladimir Putin as the "sole obstacle" to peace in Ukraine. The 27-nation bloc has imposed unprecedented penalties on Russia in response to its invasion, and said this year it would not lift sanctions before Putin's "unconditional" withdrawal of forces from Ukraine. "We Europeans will accompany this American (sanctions) initiative with a 17th package of sanctions and I committed yesterday to (US Senator) Lindsey Graham that we would try to coordinate both the substance and the timing of these two packages of sanctions," Barrot told AFP in an interview.
