French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned what he said were the boundless "cruelty and cynicism" of Russia and called on Moscow to make peace in Ukraine before offering its help as a mediator for peace in the Middle East, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
"A deadly attack in Ukraine by Vladimir Putin's regime, whose cruelty and cynicism know no bounds", Barrot said in "Ex", after at least 14 people, including an American, died in Kiev last night in one of Russia's worst attacks in the Ukrainian capital.
"To the Kremlin that would like to make peace in the Middle East: start with Ukraine", the French foreign minister advised.
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned Israeli strikes on Iran, a close ally of Moscow, describing them as "a dangerous escalation" with potentially "catastrophic consequences" for the Middle East.
Then, in a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Russian president expressed "his readiness to play the role of a mediator in order to avoid further escalation of tensions".