Every French soldier in Ukraine would be a "legitimate target" for the Russian armed forces, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today during a visit to Congo - part of his African tour, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
The agency notes that disillusionment with the West has oriented several countries on this continent towards Moscow.
Lavrov made this statement at a joint press conference with Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso.
"As for the French instructors, I think they are already on Ukrainian territory," the Russian foreign minister said, referring to the issue of military instructors that France could send to train Ukrainian servicemen. Earlier today, the press secretary of the Russian President Vladimir Putin - Dmitry Peskov, did not rule out the possibility of the Russian armed forces striking French instructors.
"Regardless of their status, servicemen and mercenaries are a legitimate target for our armed forces," Lavrov also said in Congo.
Last week, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Oleksandr Syrsky, said that France “soon“ will send instructors to train the Ukrainian troops, who from February 2022 are fighting against the Russian invasion.
Lavrov briefly commented on another issue - the peace conference on Ukraine, scheduled for the middle of this month in Switzerland, which he described as "pointless". Russia has not been invited to the forum, AP recalls.
"The only meaning of this conference would be to preserve the anti-Russian bloc, which is about to collapse,", the Russian foreign minister said.