Russia is being "unplugged" from the world economy as sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine start to bite, France said on Monday.
"Russia is being progressively unplugged from the rest of the world, notably in economic terms, and that will have a very serious impact," European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told the Europe 1 broadcaster.
Sanctions are often described as ineffective, he said, but the ruble's freefall and the "panic-stricken intervention of the Russian central bank" suggested otherwise, Beaune added.
"We've entered a different universe," he said.
Russia's central bank raised its key interest rate to 20 per cent on Monday from 9.5 per cent after the ruble collapsed against the dollar and the euro on the Moscow Stock Exchange.
"Let's be aware of our power," Beaune said. "Russia needs us badly, it needs the rest of the world."
French President Emmanuel Macron will take part later Monday in a video call with the leaders of Canada, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania and the United States, as well as representatives of the European Union and NATO about Ukraine, the French presidency said.
Macron will then host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU Commission boss Ursula von der Leyen for a working dinner with European industrialists to talk about the impact of the conflict on "Europe's economic sovereignty", the Elysee said.
Late Sunday, France advised French citizens to leave Russia "immediately" as air transport restrictions kicked in and that those in Belarus should leave by land.
Most EU airlines, including Air France, have suspended their flights to Russian airports, or through Russian airspace and the European Union has closed its airspace to Russian aircraft.
France also said it had sent 33 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including tents, medicine and food to Poland where tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees have arrived, and would dispatch a further 30 tonnes to Moldova, another major destination for people fleeing the war.
France is to submit a resolution at the UN Security Council on Monday calling for "unhindered access" for humanitarian aid, the Elysee said. European officials have warned that up to seven million people could be displaced depending on the duration of the war.
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