Bruno Le Maire backpedals. In a statement sent to AFPTuesday, March 1, the Minister of the Economy specifies that “the term war used this morning on France Info was inappropriate and does not correspond to our de-escalation strategy”adding that “we are not in conflict with the Russian people”.
A few hours earlier, the Minister had announced a strengthening of French financial sanctions against Russia, in a martial tone. “We are going to wage an all-out economic and financial war against Russia.“, he assured, affirming that the sanctions will be “applied” until “Vladimir Putin returns to better intentions in Ukraine”.
Financial crisis in Russia ➡️ “Sanctions are extremely effective. We are going to wage a total economic and financial war on Russia”, declares Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy. “We are going to cause the collapse of the Russian economy.” pic.twitter.com/uDCAvoNrMJ
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) March 1, 2022
Joined by Release, his cabinet also nuanced the scope of the threat: “The people in danger are the Ukrainians, not us. The subjects are the bombs falling on the various cities of Ukraine. The aggressor is not us”.
In the midst of rising economic tensions and while Russia has waved the nuclear threat in veiled terms, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev reacted to the French minister’s remarks in a tweet. “A French minister said today that they had declared economic war on us. Pay attention to your speech, gentlemen! And do not forget that economic wars in the history of mankind have often turned into wars real”he wrote.
Specialists in Russia also regretted the words of Bruno Le Maire. “This language, Minister, is totally inappropriate. It is counterproductive and even – yes – dangerous”, tweeted Bruno TertraisDeputy Director of the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS).
Antoine Bondaz, also a researcher at the FRS, said to himself “uncomfortable” against these statements.“These elements of language strike me as dangerous. Either we are at war or we are not”he pointed.