Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that France tried to initiate talks with Moscow on the Ukrainian issue without Kyiv’s participation. His statement was made during a press conference on Thursday, AFP reports.
“Several times, our French colleagues have approached us through confidential channels with proposals: ‘Let’s help, let’s organise a dialogue on Ukraine’. And without Ukraine,” Lavrov said.
He noted that such initiatives contradict the statements of the West, which has repeatedly stressed that no decision on Ukraine can be made without its participation. “We did not refuse. We are ready to listen,” the minister added, without specifying when these contacts took place or what topics were discussed.
At the time of publication, France had not provided an official comment on the Russian minister’s statements.
Against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine, the possibility of peace talks is increasingly being discussed. Of particular interest are the promises made by Donald Trump, who is running for the White House. He claimed to be able to end the conflict “in 24 hours”, but the lack of details of his plan is worrying Kyiv, which fears that it could be forced to agree to unfavourable terms.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for unity in the West, stressing at a summit in Brussels that only joint efforts by the US and Europe could “truly stop” Russian aggression.
Differences in approaches
Lavrov also criticised France’s “inconsistent behaviour” in relation to the war in Ukraine. In particular, he mentioned discussions about the possibility of sending European troops to monitor compliance with a possible ceasefire.
“Such statements do not encourage us to take the initiatives of our French colleagues seriously,” Lavrov stressed.
It remains to be seen whether these allegations will trigger an official response from Paris or other Western partners who support Ukraine.
