Macron: EU countries ready to take new sanctions against Russia

VERSAILLES (TASS): The EU countries are ready to decide on additional sanctions against Russia and intend to provide Ukraine with €500 million in additional assistance. This was stated by French President Emmanuel Macron at a press conference at the EU summit in Versailles.
“We are ready to decide on new sanctions. All options [of restrictions] are on the table,” Macron said. He also noted that during the meeting, the EU countries “offered to allocate €500 million in assistance.”
He added that France, together with Germany, will continue the path of pressure on Russia and “demanding dialogue” with it. “We will continue to put pressure on Russia and we will continue demanding dialogue with the German Chancellor,” Macron said.
According to him, the EU’s actions against Russia are built in three directions: sanctions against Russia, support for Ukraine, and an attempt to “diplomatically isolate Russia.” “We will persuade Putin to return to the negotiating table,” the French leader stressed.
He also said that the EU does not have the opportunity to accelerate the admission of Ukraine into the community. “Can we use the accelerated procedure [for admission to the EU] in relation to a country in which hostilities are taking place? The answer is no,” Macron said in response to a request to comment on the possibility of an accelerated admission of Ukraine to the community.
The goal of Europe is a return to peace in Ukraine, which should begin with a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops, Macron said.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the Donbass republics for help.
He stressed that Moscow’s plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories. After that, the US, EU, UK, as well as a number of other states, including Japan, announced that they were imposing sanctions against Russian individuals and legal entities.