Ukraine-Russia Conflict: Putin wants to "take Ukraine off the map of nations,"claims French minister

 French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Friday said Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to “take Ukraine off the map of nations."

The minister said France Inter that European sanctions announced in the last 24 hours are designed to “asphyxiate the functioning of Russia, to strangle the functioning of Russia.”

Putin, Le Drian said, “chose a massive offensive -- he has decided to take Ukraine off the map of nations.”

French sanctions against Russia that are yet to be announced by President Emmanuel Macron “will be drastic and strong -- that means freezing their means, freezing their checkbooks, that means no longer being able to have economic activities in France" said the minister. 

Talking about  Russia’s access to the SWIFT banking system was not included in sanctions so far, Le Drian said, “because we had to go quickly.”

The minister said that “it’s important that [Zelensky] remains in his post” and that France was ready to help “if necessary”. 

Today “is not the same thing as the Cold War,” Le Drian said. “Now there’s war at the heart of Europe.”