French lawmaker warns against sanctions imposed on Russia

The European Union's decision to impose economic sanctions on Russia was premature and unwise, French lawmaker from the conservative Union for a Popular Movement party (UMP) Jacques Myard says.

"This decision was wrong, because the Ukrainian crisis involving the ethnic Russian minority in the country is a regional conflict caused by the collapse of the USSR and World War II," he says.

According to the lawmaker, the crisis concerns Russia and Ukraine only and cannot be resolved by other powers.

"Instead of facilitating the resolution of the conflict, the sanctions aggravate the situation and cause international sanctions," the member of the French parliament said.

He also stressed that the sanctions will be especially dangerous for France. "In such a situation, when we are trying to deal with our economic, financial and budgetary problems, restricting our exports to Russia is like suicide," the lawmaker says.