Macron, EU official join calls for further sanctions over ‘clear’ indications of war crimes in Bucha

French President Emmanuel Macron and a European Union official are joining calls for further sanctions against Russia for “clear” indications of war crimes in Bucha, after images circulated of bodies on the streets of the Ukrainian town.

Macron told France Inter radio on Monday that more sanctions are needed against Russia in response to the photos of what appear to be executions in the town northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Photos surfaced over the weekend of bodies on the streets of the suburb. One person photographed had their hands tied behind their back with a white cloth. Russia’s defense ministry has claimed that the images are “fakes,” according to Tass news agency.

“There are very clear clues pointing to war crimes. It is more or less established that the Russian army is responsible [for the Bucha killings],” Macron said, according to Reuters.

“What happened in Bucha demands a new round of sanctions and very clear measures,” he added.

The French president said the penalties against Russia should take aim at coal and oil.

The EU’s foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell struck a similar note, writing in a statement that the 27-member block “will continue to firmly support Ukraine and will advance, as a matter of urgency, work on further sanctions against Russia.”

Borrell also condemned the “reported atrocities” carried out by Russian forces in occupied Ukrainian towns that have since been liberated.

“Haunting images of large numbers of civilian deaths and casualties, as well as destruction of civilian infrastructures show the true face of the brutal war of aggression Russia is waging against Ukraine and its people,” Borrell wrote.

“The massacres in the town of Bucha and other Ukrainian towns will be inscribed in the list of atrocities committed on European soil,” he added.

Macron and Borrell are two of a number of high-ranking international figures that have spoken out against the images from Bucha. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said the photos were “a punch to the gut,” and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called them “horrific.”

Additionally, leaders from several countries have called for harsher action against Russia in response to the Bucha images.

The EU has already imposed sweeping sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

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