France loses interest in discussions with Russia
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné (photo: Getty Images)
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné has stated that following recent communication between the heads of the defense ministries of France and Russia, Paris is no longer interested in discussions with Russian officials, reports France 24.
"Today, it is not in our interest to discuss with Russian officials, as the press releases they publish are lies," Séjourné said in an interview with France 24.
Statement by Shoigu after a conversation with his French counterpart and the reaction to it in France
On April 3, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu held a telephone conversation with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. This conversation between the heads of the ministries was the first since October 2022.
After the conversation, Russia claimed that Paris had allegedly expressed readiness to engage in a dialogue with Moscow regarding Ukraine or to discuss possible peace talks. France unofficially denied this statement.
Additionally, the head of the aggressor country's defense ministry, referring to the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall near Moscow, stated that Ukraine did nothing without the approval of its Western curators and added, "We hope that French special services are not involved in this."
French President Emmanuel Macron said that such comments from the Russian side were indeed strange and threatening, which is nothing new.
