Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, warned on the 8th (local time) that if France deploys troops to Ukraine, they would inevitably become a target for Russian forces.
During a briefing on the same day, Zakharova stated, “If the French appear in the conflict zone, they will inevitably become a target of Russian forces.”
She made this statement while criticizing French President Emmanuel Macron for not ruling out the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine in a recent interview with The Economist.
In response to a question about how to ease tensions between Russia and the West, Zakharova mentioned Josep Borrell, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union (EU), saying, “If the West stops military support to Ukraine, everything could end within two weeks.”
This is about Borrell’s recent lecture where he stated, “Ukraine would succumb within two weeks without Western military support.”
Zakharova also revealed that Russia is interested in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s idea of a peace conference involving both Russia and Ukraine. Russia plans to boycott a peace conference on Ukraine to be held by Switzerland, which is participating in Western sanctions, next month.
On the 6th, after a summit with President Macron, President Xi said at a press conference, “We support an international peace conference at an appropriate time, where Russia and Ukraine can acknowledge and participate equally, enabling balanced discussions.”
Furthermore, Zakharova refuted the German government’s announcement that Russia had hacked German political and business sectors, calling it “an unfounded claim that heightens tensions.” She also dismissed the UK government’s claim that Russia was involved in an arson incident in the UK, stating, “Russia has never engaged in civilian-targeted sabotage.”
Regarding the mass non-attendance of Western diplomats at President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration ceremony the previous day, she questioned, “It raises questions about what they are doing in Russia if they don’t attend official events and maintain basic communication.”
Zakharova sarcastically suggested that Western ambassadors might eventually create a new protocol where they do not visit the Kremlin even when presenting their credentials to the Russian president.
Regarding the war in Gaza, she stated, “So far, there is no sign of a peace agreement,” assessing that the conflict is escalating due to Israel’s operation in Rafah.
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