Macron urges Erdogan to fight Russian sanctions dodging

French President Emmanuel Macron attends an online meeting with G7 leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, one year after Russia invaded Ukraine, at the Elysee palace in Paris, on Feb. 24 2023. (AP)

• Macron "underlined the concern of fighting any evasion of the sanctions in place,"
• The Turkish leader has used his good relations with both Moscow and Kyiv to try and mediate an end to the conflict

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday urged Turkiye’s leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan to “fight” Russian evasion via Turkiye of Western sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine.
Macron “underlined the concern of fighting any evasion of the sanctions in place,” his Elysee Palace office said, after he spoke to Erdogan by phone on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.
He added that “pressure on and isolation of Russia must be increased” to force Moscow to “give up” on its attack, the presidency said.
Erdogan has been able to maintain relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin by refusing to join Western sanctions on Russia and ramping up bilateral trade during the war.
The Turkish leader has used his good relations with both Moscow and Kyiv to try and mediate an end to the conflict.
Turkiye hosted two early rounds of peace talks and helped strike a UN-backed agreement restoring Ukrainian grain deliveries across the Black Sea.
Erdogan has also repeatedly tried to bring Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Turkiye for truce talks.
His office said that he called for a “just peace” in Ukraine in a Friday phone call with Putin.