Press
In fact, France wanted to support Russia in the fight against terrorism. But accusations have piled up from Moscow – and there is no basis for debate.
Paris – French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne has announced that the French government is no longer interested in negotiating with Russia. The reason was a phone conversation French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu had with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, in early April. The conversation was said to be about an attack on a Moscow concert hall, which the so-called Islamic State claimed responsibility for – but according to Sejourne, Shoigu's statements in the conversation were all “false”, he told the broadcaster. France24 said.
France wanted to share “important information” with Russia after the attack in Moscow
In his first conversation with a Russian defense minister since October 2022, Lecornu stressed France's willingness to take decisive action against terrorism. The French defense ministry announced it was ready to engage in increased exchanges with Russia “to combat this threat as effectively as possible”. In this context, the Paris government wanted to share “important information” with the Kremlin.
During the phone call, Leghorn insisted that the attack in Moscow, which killed more than 140 people, would not be used for Russia-initiated war in Ukraine. Lecornu said France had no information that Ukraine was involved in the attack.
Russia, on the other hand, responded less enthusiastically to France's proposal. In the defense ministry's response, Shoigu pointed to French involvement in the attack on the concert hall in Moscow.
“It's ridiculous” – Macron rejects Russia's accusations
Instead of accepting the French defense minister's offer, Russia responded with further accusations. In a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry, Shogun said Ukraine would not do anything without the consent of its Western backers. “We believe that the French secret services are not behind this case,” the magazine quoted him as saying L'Express From the declaration.
Sejourne sees this as proof that there is no longer any trust between the two countries. It needs to be rebuilt before renewed discussions can begin. He cited the further development of the “military situation in Ukraine” as “a precondition for renewing relations”. That is not the case at the moment,” he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron has responded with shock to these allegations. He complained about the “strange and threatening” tone Russia was taking against France, the report said Kyiv Post. “It's absurd,” Macron said, opening the Water Spot Center during the Olympics in France. “It's manipulation of information that is part of the Russian war arsenal.”
Macron sees the reaction as confirmation of Russia's “aggressive attitude” towards Western nations. He noted further accusations made by Vladimir Putin's government against the West. “There is a lot of information that is known to be false, it is an intimidating approach,” Macron said.
Russia's influence on public opinion in the West
According to the US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russia continues to pursue such disinformation campaigns as a clear target in the war in Ukraine. The government in Moscow is trying to put “claims about Russia's fabricated representation of reality” at the center of debates in the West.
Putin aims to create risks for Western countries if they participate in the Ukraine war and slow down decision-making processes. These threats include accusations against the West in an attack on a concert hall in Moscow.
To counter such misinformation and accusations, Western countries' decisions must, according to ISW, be based on their own “interests, values and facts” and not controlled by others. (Paediatrics)
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