France hails EU sanctions on Russia over foreign 'destabilization'

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - France has expressed support for the European Union's first sanctions package addressing Russia's “destabilization operations” abroad.

The Foreign Ministry in a statement on Tuesday said it “hails” the Foreign Affairs Council’s adoption of the 15th package of EU sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine, as well as the first package of sanctions aimed at “Russian actors involved in destabilization operations.”

The sanctions target 16 individuals and three entities that “contribute to information manipulation campaigns in Europe and Africa,” the statement said, adding: “France was fully involved in determining these sanctions, and actors taking part in destabilization operations aimed at France are explicitly targeted in this initial package.”

“These different measures are an additional sign of the EU’s firmness vis-à-vis Russia. France and its partners will continue to resolutely support Ukraine,” the readout said.

Adopted on Monday, the 15th sanctions package is meant “to keep cracking down on Russia's shadow fleet, as well as combating sanctions' circumvention,” according to the EU. It also includes substantial individual and entity listings related to the Russian military-industrial complex.

The bloc said that with this package, it has, for the first time, imposed ‘fully-fledged' sanctions on various Chinese actors.​​​​​​​