Paris - Saba:
French President Emmanuel Macron criticized what he described as the "unacceptable and shameful behavior" of the Israeli government, led by war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu, in Gaza, hinting at the possibility of reevaluating European partnership agreements with Israel.
According to Agence France-Presse, the French president described the actions taken by Netanyahu's extremist government in the Gaza Strip as "unacceptable" and "shameful," stressing that the humanitarian crisis since October 7, 2023, has been "the most serious ever."
Macron denounced the Israelis' "blocking" of all aid sent by France and other countries from entering Gaza.
Macron explained that he was one of the few leaders to have reached the Rafah crossing, where he saw "the worst scenes".
He stated that reconsidering cooperation agreements between the European Union and Israel is "seriously on the table," especially after the Netherlands requested that the European Commission examine Tel Aviv's compliance with Article 2, which links the partnership to respect for human rights.
Macron said, "We have fought tirelessly to end this conflict. Today, we need the United States," considering that the "lever" lies with US President Donald Trump.
New European Sanctions Package Threatened Against Russia.
Regarding Ukraine, the French President confirmed the "real will" in Brussels to impose secondary sanctions targeting financial intermediaries and oil companies if Moscow does not respect a complete and unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
He said the 17th package, expected to be adopted next week, may include additional banks not yet excluded from the SWIFT system and major energy companies, while the preparation of the measures will take a few weeks.
Ukraine and its European allies, in cooperation with the United States, issued an ultimatum to Moscow on Saturday: accept a "complete and unconditional" 30-day ceasefire starting Monday, or Russia will face "massive" new sanctions.
The European Union has so far imposed 16 packages of sanctions on Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.
The 17th package is expected to be adopted next Tuesday.
These sanctions currently largely exclude the financial and oil sectors. The Europeans are considering imposing sanctions on more banks that have not yet been excluded from the SWIFT network, which regulates the vast majority of financial transactions worldwide.
Macron believes that ending the war requires an ideal negotiating position for Ukraine, explicitly acknowledging that "the Ukrainians realize the impossibility of regaining all the territories they have lost since 2014."
He has ruled out Kyiv's accession to NATO for now due to the lack of consensus. Instead, he proposes deploying British, French, and other "reassurance forces" away from the front lines to carry out joint operations that demonstrate Western solidarity and deter Moscow from advancing.
The French president said, "The war must end, and Ukraine must be in the best possible position to enter negotiations" that would "allow the territorial issue to be addressed. Even the Ukrainians themselves realize (...) that they will not be able to regain everything seized since 2014" by Russia.
Macron did not specify the areas he believed Kyiv was unlikely to retake.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had called on his country's Western allies not to "gift" any Ukrainian territory to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, at a time when Washington appears to be considering recognizing the territories occupied by Moscow.
In this regard, Macron emphasized, "I have always said that the war must end. Ukraine must be in the best possible position to enter into negotiations."
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