France closes its airspace to Russian planes and airlines

Europe 1 with AFP 1:57 p.m., February 27, 2022

Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari announced that France will close its airspace this Sunday to Russian planes and airlines, like other European countries.

Earlier, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said France "is not at war", but is "alongside a country, Ukraine."

"We have taken tough measures, we can take more, including this one (...), this is one of the subjects we are looking at", he indicated on France Inter while Germany, Belgium, Italy, the United Kingdom or even Finland and Luxembourg have already announced the closure of their airspace to Russian planes.

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We must "always measure the effect of the measures"

Gabriel Attal, however, stressed that it was necessary "always to measure the effect of the measures", for example in this specific case "to ensure that the French in Russia can return to France".

A defense council chaired on Saturday by Emmanuel Macron decided to strengthen economic and financial sanctions against Russia, in particular its access to the Swift interbank platform, the fight against Russian "propaganda" on European soil and the delivery by France of more "defense equipment".

With the French and European economic and financial sanctions, "we are drying up the Russian banks, we are drying up the Russian central bank, we are drying up the Russian economy, we are drying up the finances of the Russian oligarchs (...), so that at some point given Vladimir Putin is forced to revise his plans by saying 'all this costs us too much'", explained Gabriel Attal.

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The government is working on a "resilience plan"

Asked whether it could be said that France is at war, he felt that "our country is not at war", but that "it is alongside a country, Ukraine, to which the Russia is at war".

"He accompanies him, supports him, in humanitarian matters, in defense equipment, he is also mobilized to reach a ceasefire and a settlement of this conflict", he detailed.

As for the economic impact of the conflict on the French economy, there will be one, "you must not hide behind your little finger", but the government, which is working in particular on a "resilience plan" for the agriculture and food, is "mobilized to limit it", assured the government spokesman, a month and a half before the first round of the presidential election.

"The main risk is that of gas": "There is no risk of shortage - we have stocks and reserves in front of us -", ​​but "a risk on the other hand of price, of costs", has-t he confirmed, recalling the price blocking measures already introduced in the face of the upsurge in inflation observed in recent months.