You're reading: Sarkozy favors removal of anti-Russian sanctions, calls for steps to resolve Donbas issue

ST. PETERSBURG - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for sanctions imposed on Russia to be lifted, including as part of measures to secure a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible.

“My conviction is that this problem [of the south-east of Ukraine] will not be resolved if steps to tackle it are not taken. This problem will become more complicated. Time is working against us,” Sarkozy said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 16.

The former French president said he was “among those who believe that it is necessary to lift sanctions [from Russia].”

“We have enough problems without it, and we cannot afford to suffer,” he said.

Sarkozy also said that in order to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, “the strongest should be the first to extend their hand, and it is Russia and President Putin who are the strongest.”

“Eighteen months had passed before serious talks on Ukraine began. Certainly, I am not speaking about the relations that you [Russia] have with Ukraine. It is family relations, which, as you know, are the most complex because they also involve feelings, and feelings do not make certain things easier,” he said.

“It is the relations between Europe and Russia. And it is not up to the United States to tell them what to do. We, Europeans, and you, Russians, should settle these relations, including [as part of a solution for] Ukraine. Take this step, and the situation will immediately become peaceful,” Sarkozy said.

He spoke about the way the Georgian issue was resolved in 2008.

“Who recalls this event today? It was a face-saving solution for all. And the situation simultaneously became peaceful,” Sarkozy said.