The war will end as soon as Vladimir Putin abandons his “delusional hope of restoring the Russian Empire,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in an interview.
Russia’s president must make peace with Ukraine or face new economic sanctions, Barrot told La Tribune.
According to Barrot, the conflict would end once Putin gives up the goal of fully occupying Ukraine, which he described as the first step in reviving an empire. He said Putin has a reason to take seriously a new peace plan for ending the war recently drawn up by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. The Russian military has yet to achieve the objectives set by the Kremlin, Barrot argued, noting that in 2025 it seized about 1% of Ukrainian territory while suffering heavy losses, with roughly 1,000 Russian soldiers killed on the front each day.
Barrot said European nations have worked hard to shape talks on ending the war, in the interest of Europe’s security and a just peace for Kyiv. The United States, he added, has agreed to factor Europe’s views into its new Ukraine peace plan, including offering Ukraine security guarantees after the war so it will not face future attacks.
During discussions of Trump’s plan, European countries secured a commitment that any decisions falling under EU law cannot be taken without their involvement, Barrot said. That includes Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, the use of frozen Russian assets held in Europe, and European security matters.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to arrive in France on December 1 to discuss terms for ending Russia’s war with President Emmanuel Macron. Zelensky seeks a just and lasting peace for his country. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian delegation is holding fresh talks in the United States on ending the war.
