Ukraine refutes Lavrov’s claim France sought talks without Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that France suggested negotiations without Ukraine. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes there is no reason to trust Russia, stated Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi at a press conference.

Recently, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that France had repeatedly approached Russia through closed channels, proposing dialogue without Ukrainian involvement.

Lavrov stated that Russia is open to contacts but criticized France, calling it the “primary advocate for sending so-called peacekeeping forces to Ukraine.”

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi emphasized that there is no reason to trust another Russian lie, but there is a reason to trust the partners.

“The purpose of these comments is clear: to sow discord between Ukraine and France, between Ukraine and its allies. This is a typical Russian strategy. The author of these comments is not only a war criminal, but also a pathological liar. This person claimed that the bombing of the maternity hospital in Mariupol and the atrocities in Bucha were staged. It seems to me that after these words, trusting him is to disrespect oneself,” Tykhyi said.

France’s assistance

At the beginning of the full-scale war, French President Emmanuel Macron tried to maintain a dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

However, Macron later changed his position. He was the first to propose sending military instructors to Ukraine to train the Ukrainian Armed Forces on their territory. He also supports the idea of sending peacekeepers to Ukraine.

Most partners currently reject the idea, but there are those who are ready to consider this prospect.

The German Defense Minister said that Berlin is ready to discuss the deployment of peacekeeping troops, but only if Russia agrees to it.