PARIS, France, March 13, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Paris on Friday, his spokesman said, for talks with President Emmanuel Macron on ramping up pressure on Russia. The visit comes as talks brokered between Kyiv and Moscow by the United States to end the four-year invasion have been derailed by the US-Israeli war with Iran. The talks between Macron and Zelensky will focus on increasing sanctions pressure on Russia by targeting its "shadow fleet" of tankers used to transport oil in breach of sanctions imposed over the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the French presidency has said. The US government has temporarily eased economic sanctions to allow Russian oil currently stranded at sea to be sold to India until April 3. Zelensky said last week it could take four to six weeks to make the pipeline operational again.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha March 13, 2026 08:37 UTC