{"id":1401514,"date":"2022-03-26T08:15:56","date_gmt":"2022-03-26T12:15:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1401514"},"modified":"2022-03-26T08:15:58","modified_gmt":"2022-03-26T12:15:58","slug":"french-companies-continue-to-be-reluctant-to-suspend-operations-in-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/french-companies-continue-to-be-reluctant-to-suspend-operations-in-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"French Companies Continue to Be Reluctant to Suspend Operations in Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffrench-companies-continue-to-be-reluctant-to-suspend-operations-in-russia%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1401514&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\">PARIS (AP) \u2013 French automaker Renault plans to pause production at its Moscow plant in an apparent move to fend off mounting criticism, breaking ranks with other major French companies that have defied pressure to keep operating in Russia after it invaded Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>The company\u2019s board of directors voted Wednesday night to suspend \u201cactivities at the Renault Moscow plant.\u201d It came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the company and others in France of aiding Russia\u2019s war effort during an emotional virtual address to parliament.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>Dozens of foreign multinational corporations have curtailed operations in Russia, amid sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its Western allies aimed at crippling the country\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n<p>But some French companies have been notable for their reluctance to leave, underlining how it\u2019s often a point of pride for France \u2014 and its companies \u2014 to be more independent from the U.S. and United Kingdom when it comes to policy toward Russia. It\u2019s a stance that has started to unravel as the war grinds on.<\/p>\n<p>France\u2019s President Emmanuel warned Thursday about \u201creputation risks\u201d for groups operating in Russia but said they are free to make their own choices.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cMy position is to let the companies free to decide for themselves. That\u2019s up to the companies\u2019 leadership to assess\u201d the situation, he said at a news conference in Brussels.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cFrance, Germany, and Italy should hang their heads in shame. Where are all the Remoaners now? What are you going to say about this? You still want to be part of the corrupt EU when their only concern is lining their pockets?\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ki4UAHJgqk\">https:\/\/t.co\/ki4UAHJgqk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreitbartLondon\/status\/1505118128367308800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 19, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Home improvement giant Leroy Merlin, supermarket chain Auchan, and sporting goods retailer Decathlon are among high-profile brands refusing to stop their business in Russia. French energy company TotalEnergies issued a combative statement this week, saying it would stop buying Russian oil but warned that a hasty withdrawal would only benefit Russian partners.<\/p>\n<p>French food giant Danone said Wednesday that it\u2019s continuing local production of essential dairy and infant nutrition products in Russia, saying it has a duty to Russians who rely on the company for food. Danone said it condemned the war and suspended Russian imports, exports and investments and doesn\u2019t expect to receive any profits from its Russian business.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrench firms are much more embedded in Russia than U.S. firms, so departure is more costly,\u201d said Witold Henisz, a management professor at the University of Pennsylvania\u2019s Wharton Business School.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s particularly true for automakers and parts manufacturers whose European factories might be shut down without Russian-made parts, said Henisz, who studies political risk for corporations.<\/p>\n<p>Henisz said French business and political leaders have clung to the longstanding notion that their continued engagement with countries of any political regime offers France more political and economic weight and a leadership position in Europe.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>Not just French companies are feeling the heat. Swiss multinational food giant Nestl\u00e9 sought to deflect criticism by saying Wednesday that it will remove some brands from Russia, including KitKat candy bars and Nesquik milkshake powder, but will keep supplying \u201cessential food.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Zelensky singled out some French companies in his address to France\u2019s parliament, pleading for them to stop indirectly supporting the war in Ukraine with their presence in Russia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRenault, Auchan [and] Leroy Merlin must stop sponsoring the Russian war machine, and the murder of children and women, rapes, robberies, and looting committed by the Russian army,\u201d Zelensky said. \u201cAll companies must remember that values are worth more than profit.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>In a tweet Wednesday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on customers and businesses worldwide to boycott Renault. \u201cMistakes must come with a price,\u201d he wrote, alongside a picture describing the brand as \u201csponsor of Putin\u2019s war.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Renault refuses to pull out of Russia. Not that it should surprise anyone when Renault supports a brutal war of aggression in Europe. But mistakes must come with a price, especially when repeated. I call on customers and businesses around the globe to boycott Group Renault. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/STFeafnCoi\">pic.twitter.com\/STFeafnCoi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DmytroKuleba\/status\/1506691053503528970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 23, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Renault, which is partly owned by the French government, had temporarily suspended production at its Moscow plant when the war erupted, blaming logistical problems, before reportedly resuming production days ahead of Zelensky\u2019s French address. The factory makes Renault\u2019s Arkana, Kaptur and Duster SUVs and the Terrano model for its Japanese partner Nissan.<\/p>\n<p>The carmaker\u2019s failure to abandon its subsidiary Avtovaz \u2013 which represents the lion\u2019s share of the group\u2019s presence in Russia \u2013 means it will likely keep facing pressure. Last year alone, Renault sold almost half a million vehicles through its Russian subsidiary.<\/p>\n<p>Renault said it is not immediately withdrawing but merely \u201cassessing the available options, taking into account the current environment, while acting responsibly towards its 45,000 employees in Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Leroy Merlin has been more intransigent than Renault and \u2013 like Auchan and Decathlon \u2013 refuses to shutter its Russian business. In a statement, Leroy Merlin\u2019s management reaffirmed its desire for its Russian stores to stay open in a decision backed by French regional political leadership.<\/p>\n<p>Not even the destruction of a Leroy Merlin store in Kyiv by a Russian bombardment on Sunday night was enough to make parent company Adeo reconsider its position. Ukraine\u2019s Defense Ministry also accused the chain of indirectly financing the strike by operating in Russia.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cmaintenance of our activity in Russia is a decision which is not easy,\u201d the company said. \u201cWe have no reason to condemn our Russian teams for a war they did not choose,\u201d adding that it still has \u201cresponsibility as an employer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>TotalEnergies slammed what it called \u201cserious and unfounded accusations of `complicity in war crimes&#8217;\u201d leveled against the company. It said sanctions, combined with Russian laws governing foreign investments, prevented it from finding a non-Russian buyer for its minority stakes in several private Russian energy companies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbandoning these interests without consideration would enrich Russian investors, in contradiction with the sanctions\u2019 purpose,\u201d the company said. Rivals Shell and BP, in contrast, swiftly announced exits from their Russian energy projects.<\/p>\n<p>TotalEnergies said it can\u2019t avoid buying Russian liquefied natural gas to supply Europe in the short term, citing the continent\u2019s \u201cgas logistics capacities,\u201d and noted that it doesn\u2019t have the same domestic resources as countries like the U.K. and U.S.<\/p>\n<p>French bank Societe Generale, which owns one of Russia\u2019s largest private lenders, said this month that it was \u201cconducting its business in Russia with the utmost caution and selectivity, while supporting its historical clients.\u201d The bank said its exposure to Russia amounted to 18.6 billion euros and warned of the possibility of being stripped of its local operations.<\/p>\n<p>French companies are playing by the historical rules of a postwar order that has been upended, said Henisz, the management professor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe only question firms face is whether they will get out early and look courageous or be dragged out among the last in their industry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>French companies \u201cwill have to pay the cost of looking the other way as Russia signalled its intent to leave the international system,\u201d Henisz added. \u201cTheir shareholders and some EU customers will suffer. It is only a question of time.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sanctions Loophole: SWIFT Exemption Europe Lets Itself Pay for Russian Gas<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/APDc3yaJak\">https:\/\/t.co\/APDc3yaJak<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreitbartLondon\/status\/1499338804569722885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 3, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Chan contributed from London. AP reporter Sylvie Corbet contributed from Paris<\/em><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"western\"><em><span>Follow Breitbart London on Facebook:<\/span><\/em><em>\u00a0<\/em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BreitbartLondon\/\"><span>Breitbart London<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PARIS (AP) \u2013 French automaker Renault plans to pause production at its Moscow plant in an apparent move to fend off mounting criticism, breaking ranks with other major French companies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":489,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1401514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1401514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/489"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1401514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1401514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1401514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1401514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1401514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}