France’s President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during a joint press conference with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on March 13, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday (March 13, 2026) said Russia was “mistaken” if it thought the West Asia war would ease pressure on it after Washington partially rolled back sanctions against Moscow to cool oil prices.
His comments came after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Paris aimed at ramping up pressure on Russia to end its four-year invasion.
“Today Russia may believe that the war in Iran will offer it respite. It is mistaken,” Mr. Macron said.
U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks across the Gulf region have virtually halted transit through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, sending global oil prices spiralling.
Also read: West Asia war updates on March 13, 2026
The United States has temporarily allowed the sale of oil from Russia — one of the world’s largest oil producers and exporters — that is at sea, as oil prices hold above $100 a barrel.
The move has sparked pushback from U.S. allies, including Mr. Macron, who said earlier the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz “in no way” justified lifting the sanctions on Russia.
During a meeting of the Group of Seven countries earlier this week, “we reaffirmed rising oil prices must under no circumstances lead us to reconsider our sanctions policy towards Russia,” Mr. Macron said during Friday’s press conference.
Mr. Macron said he believed the U.S. decision to ease sanctions would be “limited” and would not be a total reversal of the policy.
“The decision taken, on an exceptional and limited basis, by the United States of America… does not constitute a lasting or broad reversal of the sanctions that they themselves decided upon” within the framework of the G7, Mr. Macron said.
Mr. Macron also confirmed that France’s position in the West Asia war remained “purely defensive” despite an Iranian drone having killed a French soldier in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
The French Military said that drones had on Thursday hit a base where troops were taking part in counter-terrorism training with Iraqi counterparts.
Arnaud Frion, 42, was killed by a Shahed drone strike, according to his commanding officer, in an attack that also left several soldiers wounded.
When asked about the possibility of a retaliatory strike following Frion’s death, Mr. Macron refused to discuss a scenario in which France would carry out a retaliatory strike against Iran, calling it “political fiction”.
“We are not at war with anyone,” Mr. Macron said.
Published – March 13, 2026 08:03 pm IST
