Renault, other French companies in Russia sponsoring Ukraine war: Zelensky

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday accused French multinational giants Renault, Auchan, and Leroy Merlin of sponsoring Russian military actions in the eastern European country in view of the companies’ reluctance to pull out of Russia.

“French companies must leave the Russian market. Renault, Auchan, Leroy Merlin and others must stop being the sponsors of Russia’s war machine,” the 44-year-old President told French legislators via a video conference on Wednesday.

“Values are more important than profits,” Zelensky added, on a day when the US government officially declared that Russian forces were guilty of war crimes in Ukraine.

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However, the decision to pull out of or remain in Russia is not a straightforward one for some companies.

For French automakers Renault, for example, Russia is a massive market that contributes considerably to its global sales. Indeed, as per the company’s 2021 sales record, Russia was its second-most important market after France.

For retail giants Leroy Merlin, the story is similar: according to CNN affiliate BFMTV, Leroy Merlin outlets are present in both Russia and Ukraine, but the former accounts for a considerable 18% of the multinational brand’s global activities.

However, earlier in the week, a Leroy Merlin outlet in Kyiv got destroyed during a routine Russian bombardment, intesifying calls for the company’s withdrawal from Russia.

An online petition had also been started calling for the Leroy Merlin’s withdrawal after the Russian attack on the company’s store in Kyiv, but CNN, citing a company spokesperson, reported on Wednesday that Leroy Merlin still had plans to continue its operations in Russia.

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Renault, too, resumed operations in Russia on Monday for three days as per CNN, and it is unclear what the company intends to do after the expiry of said three-day period.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, the international business community has responded to Russian aggression by withdrawing from or shutting business completely in Russia.

At the time of writing this article, more than 450 multinational companies had either suspended or terminated business activities in Russia as per the Yale School of Management, and a mere handful still remain.