France’s top priority is ending inflation, Le Maire tells Yellen at G20

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) – French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Monday that Europe and France were paying a heavy price for Russia’s actions in Ukraine through higher energy prices and inflation, and France’s top economic priority was to bring these down.

Le Maire told U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen at the start of a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali that it was important for the United States and France to work together to quell inflation.

“So I really think that’s the issue that we have on the table, is how to bring down energy prices and how to get rid of inflation,” Le Maire said.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Bradley Perrett)