Russia Warns France Against Deploying Troops to Ukraine in Rare Phone Call

On the recent developments in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, Russia's Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, engaged in a rare phone call with French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu. During this call, Shoigu warned France against deploying troops to Ukraine, emphasizing that such actions would create problems for France itself. This warning was in response to French President Emmanuel Macron's previous statement in February, where he mentioned the possibility of Western troops being sent to Ukraine. Shoigu also expressed Russia's readiness to participate in talks to end the conflict.

Shoigu conveyed Moscow's readiness for dialogue on Ukraine and highlighted the importance of Russia's involvement in the peace talks. He pointed out that the planned round of peace talks in Geneva would be "senseless" without Russia's participation. Furthermore, Shoigu mentioned the possibility of future negotiations based on a draft document that was discussed during Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul in March 2022. Reports have indicated that the draft involved Ukraine abandoning its bid to join NATO and remaining neutral. However, no final deal was reached, and the talks collapsed shortly after.

Condolences and Allegations

During the call, Lecornu offered condolences over the tragic attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that occurred on March 22, resulting in the loss of 145 lives. Despite this expression of sympathy, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that Lecornu tried to persuade Shoigu that Ukraine and its Western allies were not involved in the concert hall raid. In response, Shoigu insisted that Moscow had "information about Ukrainian trace in organizing the terror attack." He also expressed skepticism about the potential involvement of French special services in the incident, suggesting a connection between the Kyiv regime and its Western handlers.

The call between the Russian and French defense ministers marked the first such contact since October 2022, indicating a significant development in the diplomatic relations between the two countries.