PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday urged Turkiye’s leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan to “fight” Russian evasion via Turkiye of Western sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine.
Macron “underlined the concern of fighting any evasion of the sanctions in place,” his Elysee Palace office said, after he spoke to Erdogan by phone on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.
He added that “pressure on and isolation of Russia must be increased” to force Moscow to “give up” on its attack, the presidency said.
Erdogan has been able to maintain relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin by refusing to join Western sanctions on Russia and ramping up bilateral trade during the war.
The Turkish leader has used his good relations with both Moscow and Kyiv to try and mediate an end to the conflict.
Turkiye hosted two early rounds of peace talks and helped strike a UN-backed agreement restoring Ukrainian grain deliveries across the Black Sea.
Erdogan has also repeatedly tried to bring Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Turkiye for truce talks.
His office said that he called for a “just peace” in Ukraine in a Friday phone call with Putin.
Macron urges Erdogan to fight Russian sanctions dodging
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Macron urges Erdogan to fight Russian sanctions dodging
- Macron "underlined the concern of fighting any evasion of the sanctions in place,"
- The Turkish leader has used his good relations with both Moscow and Kyiv to try and mediate an end to the conflict
Magnitude 6.2 earthquake strikes Japan’s Chugoku region
- Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said there were no irregularities at the plant
TOKYO: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 hit the western Chugoku region of Japan on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, followed by a series of sizeable aftershocks.
The epicenter of the first earthquake was in eastern Shimane prefecture, the agency said, adding that there was no danger of a tsunami. Chugoku Electric Power operates the Shimane Nuclear Power Station, about 32 km (20 miles) away.
Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said there were no irregularities at the plant.
A spokesperson said the utility was checking on any impact on the plant’s No.2 unit, which has been operating since December 2024 after being shut down following the March 2011 disasters in Fukushima.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas.
The earthquake had a seismic intensity of upper-5 on Japan’s 1-7 scale, strong enough to make movement difficult without support.
West Japan Railway said it had suspended Shinkansen bullet-train operations between Shin-Osaka and Hakata following the quake.
