France's withdrawal from NATO would be "the biggest gift that can be given to Russia," he said
Paris. January 23. INTERFAX - The French leadership does not expect an open conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but the EU should be ready to react at any moment in case of a complication of the situation, according to the Secretary of State for European Affairs at the French Foreign Ministry Clement Bon.
"The Europeans should be ready to do this (impose sanctions - IF) at any moment," he said on Sunday on the Europe1 radio station.
According to him, France intends to "show very great firmness" on this issue.
The French official claimed that "there are ways to put extremely strong pressure" on Russia. He believes that the Europeans drew conclusions from the lessons of the past, when during the first Ukrainian conflict in 2014 they were not ready to react in a unified and firm way. "The regimes of sanctions applied were quite limited," says Bon.
"I hear that some are using (the situation) to call for withdrawal from NATO. It would be madness at such moments to create the impression of disagreements in the West," the Secretary of State noted. He was referring, in particular, to the statements of Jean-Luc Melenchon, the candidate for the presidential election from the Unconquered France party, who advocates the country's withdrawal from the North Atlantic Alliance.
Bon said that the decision to withdraw France from NATO would be "the biggest gift that can be given to Russia."
In his opinion, the "best signals" of Europe that could be sent to Russia are "firmness and unity". He attributes this, in particular, to the presence of the French military in the Baltic States and the readiness announced by President Emmanuel Macron to "strengthen the flank of the North Atlantic Alliance" in Romania.
