Russian Defense Minister Warns French Counterpart About Sending Troops to Ukraine

RIA Novosti reported that the Russian Defense Ministry said that, at the urgent request of the French side, a phone call took place between Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu on April 3.

The French Defense Minister expressed his condolences over the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall complex. At the same time, Mr. Lecornu convinced his Russian colleague that Kiev and Western countries were not involved in this attack, the responsibility lies with the self-proclaimed Islamic State organization IS.

For his part, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu said that the investigation into this case will certainly be completed, and all those responsible will receive appropriate punishment.

"The Kiev government will not do anything without the approval of the West. We hope that in this case, the French intelligence service is not behind this," Sergei Shoigu told his counterpart.

The two military leaders also discussed the possibility of France sending troops to Ukraine, with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warning his French counterpart about the problems Paris would face if these plans were implemented.

At the same time, the two ministers noted their readiness for dialogue on the situation in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the initial terms could be based on the peace initiative developed in Istanbul (Turkey) in 2022. The two sides also stressed that holding a summit in Geneva (Switzerland) without Russia's participation would be meaningless./.