France to support EU sanctions against Russia in response to sham referenda.

The European Union Member States are holding consultations on the next package of sanctions, without waiting for the completion of Russia's sham referenda in the captured territories of Ukraine, and France will fully support it.

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Catherine Colonna made a relevant statement at a joint briefing with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The minister noted that the leader of the aggressor country, Vladimir Putin, adopted the rhetoric of escalation: he announced partial mobilization, organized sham referenda, and will use the rhetoric of escalation in the nuclear issue. However, all this will not distract France either from its principles or from its goal.

"If Russia recognizes the results of these illegal referendums, there will be new sanctions. There will be sanctions that will be adopted by the European Union, and France will fully support these sanctions," Colonna stressed.

She noted that the European Union Member States were conducting consultations to agree on a new package as soon as possible. Both individual restrictions to punish the organizers of pseudo-referendums and sectoral sanctions will be imposed.

As reported, the leaders of the "LPR/DPR" and collaborators in the Russian-occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions announced on September 20 "referendums" on joining Russia and scheduled them for September 23-27.

Western leaders emphasized that any Russian sham referenda in Ukraine would be illegitimate.

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