Le Maire: France in talks with UAE for Russia oil alternatives

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sunday that France is in discussions with the United Arab Emirates regarding supplies of oil and diesel.

“We have to find an alternative to Russian petrol,” Le Maire said in an interview with Europe1 Radio. The UAE could provide at least a “temporary solution,” he said.

Le Maire was discussing inflation in France ahead of the first round of voting for the nationwide legislative elections next week. While he denied that the war in Ukraine is the main cause of the jump in energy prices, he said the conflict is “accentuating a much deeper phenomenon,” to which becoming more energy-independent is the best response.

As part of its sixth package of sanctions against Russia over the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU will be placing an embargo on Russian oil, blocking seaborne imports by the end of the year.