BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks succumbed to heavy selling pressure on Monday after Russian President Vladimir Putin dramatically escalated East-West tensions by ordering Russian nuclear forces put on high alert.
Meanwhile, media reports suggest that Russian invasion forces seized two small cities in south-eastern Ukraine and the area around a nuclear power plant.
The UN human rights chief said that at least 102 civilians, including seven children, had been killed in Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion five days ago, warning the true numbers were likely far higher.
The benchmark CAC 40 plummeted 211 points, or 3.1 percent, to 6,541 after rallying 3.6 percent on Friday.
Banks led losses, with BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole and Societe Generale losing 5-9 percent, after the U.S. Japan and other Western nations moved over the weekend to impose additional sanctions against Russia, including restrictions on access for some Russian banks to the SWIFT global bank payments system.
Amid all this, a Ukrainian delegation is meeting Russian officials for talks near the Belarus border today.
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