France’s President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech throughout a joint press convention with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on March 13, 2026.
| Picture Credit score: Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday (March 13, 2026) stated Russia was “mistaken” if it thought the West Asia battle would ease stress on it after Washington partially rolled again sanctions in opposition to Moscow to chill oil costs.
His feedback got here after talks together with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Paris aimed toward ramping up stress on Russia to finish its four-year invasion.
“At this time Russia might consider that the battle in Iran will supply it respite. It’s mistaken,” Mr. Macron stated.
U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory assaults throughout the Gulf area have nearly halted transit by way of the strategically very important Strait of Hormuz, sending international oil costs spiralling.
Additionally learn: West Asia battle updates on March 13, 2026
The US has quickly allowed the sale of oil from Russia — one of many world’s largest oil producers and exporters — that’s at sea, as oil costs maintain above $100 a barrel.
The transfer has sparked pushback from U.S. allies, together with Mr. Macron, who stated earlier the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz “on no account” justified lifting the sanctions on Russia.
Throughout a gathering of the Group of Seven nations earlier this week, “we reaffirmed rising oil costs should on no account lead us to rethink our sanctions coverage in the direction of Russia,” Mr. Macron stated throughout Friday’s press convention.
Mr. Macron stated he believed the U.S. choice to ease sanctions can be “restricted” and wouldn’t be a complete reversal of the coverage.
“The choice taken, on an distinctive and restricted foundation, by the US of America… doesn’t represent an enduring or broad reversal of the sanctions that they themselves determined upon” throughout the framework of the G7, Mr. Macron stated.
Mr. Macron additionally confirmed that France’s place within the West Asia battle remained “purely defensive” regardless of an Iranian drone having killed a French soldier in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan area.
The French Army stated that drones had on Thursday hit a base the place troops had been participating in counter-terrorism coaching with Iraqi counterparts.
Arnaud Frion, 42, was killed by a Shahed drone strike, in accordance with his commanding officer, in an assault that additionally left a number of troopers wounded.
When requested about the opportunity of a retaliatory strike following Frion’s dying, Mr. Macron refused to debate a state of affairs by which France would perform a retaliatory strike in opposition to Iran, calling it “political fiction”.
“We’re not at battle with anybody,” Mr. Macron stated.
Revealed – March 13, 2026 08:03 pm IST