A phone call caused a scandal in France – especially after recent words from President Emmanuel Macron that the French army may have to send its troops into Ukraine at some point to stop the Russian army.
Against this background, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu held a telephone conversation with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. And immediately there were speculations that the topic “Ukraine” was the focus of the conversation. There was even talk that Macron, through his minister, was conducting secret negotiations with Moscow.
Paris immediately denied this information. In front of Le Monde, the French armed forces indicated that the phone call “should not be interpreted as a means of reopening a channel of communication with the Russians”. France denies it is negotiating with Russia without the knowledge of Ukraine and its NATO allies.
French authorities say they want to keep communication channels open with Moscow because of the upcoming Olympics in Paris and the risks of a terrorist attack.
Former French President Francois Hollande advised the French government not to maintain any contacts with Russia after the “use for propaganda purposes” on the Moscow side of the phone call.
Russia itself is using the conversation to push its narratives that NATO wants to negotiate with Putin, which means capitulation to Kiev. The Russian Ministry of Defense said that the talks between the Russian and French defense ministers showed a “readiness for dialogue on the issue of Ukraine”.