"French companies must leave the Russian market. Renault, Auchan, Leroy Merlin and others, they must stop sponsoring Russia's war machine" in Ukraine, he said in a speech broadcast in videoconference in front of French deputies and senators.
"They must stop funding the murder of children and women, rape," he said.
“Everyone will remember that values are worth more than profits,” he warned.
Employees of the Ukrainian branch of Leroy Merlin asked the brand on Monday to cease its activities in Russia after the bombing of a store of the group in kyiv.
The Auchan chain of stores is also emblematic of mass distribution in Russia, where it operates 231 stores for a turnover of 3.2 billion euros, or more than 10% of its overall activity.
Other iconic international brands such as Sweden's Ikea and the fast-food chain McDonald's, on the other hand, have suspended their operations in Russia in reaction to the invasion of Ukraine.
Videoconference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the National Assembly in Paris, March 23, 2022 Emmanuel DUNAND AFP
Russia is also the second largest market for the Renault automobile group in the world behind Europe.
The French manufacturer is present through the AvtoVAZ group, which halted part of its production in mid-March due to a shortage of components linked to Western sanctions imposed on Russia.
Renault is all the more exposed as it is associated in Russia with the Russian public conglomerate Rostec, directed by Sergei Tchémezov, an ally of Vladimir Putin.
The French group TotalEnergies, also criticized for its maintenance in Russia, somewhat distanced itself on Tuesday from this strategic country by announcing that it would renounce all purchases of Russian oil or petroleum products, at the latest by the end of the year.
© 2022 AFP