The French Foreign Minister said this Monday that it was no longer in France’s interests to “talk to Russian officials”, after a telephone conversation between the Russian and French defense ministers ended in conflicting messages.
“It is not in our interest at this time to talk to Russian officials because the press releases issued and the summaries made are lies,” French diplomacy chief Stephane Sejournet told France24 and RFI media from Abidjan, where he finished a tour of Africa.
Following a call last Wednesday between French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Russian Minister Sergei Shoigu that aimed to provide the Russians with “useful information” about the attack in Moscow, French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday condemned the “pretentious and threatening comments” made by the Russians.