The Russian foreign ministry headed by Sergei Lavrov summoned the British and French Ambassadors in Moscow over the ongoing Ukraine conflict on May 6.
Ambassadors Nigel Casey of the UK and Pierre Levy of France were separately seen arriving at the ministry’s headquarters in central Moscow.
As the Russian news agency Tass reported, both officials declined to comment to the press gathered outside.
The Russian Government has also remained tight-lipped about the meetings, merely confirming that the envoys had been summoned due to recent statements.
Earlier on the same day, the Russian defence ministry announced plans for a military exercise to test the deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons.
That came after French President Emmanuel Macron has been advocating what he termed “strategic ambiguity” regarding the Ukraine conflict, aiming to keep open the option of deploying NATO troops in Ukraine.
Following the Ambassadors’ meetings in Moscow, the French foreign affairs ministry posted a message on X regarding the possibility of French troops on the ground in Ukraine.
“No, France is not sending troops to Ukraine,” the message read.
Alerte INFOX🚨
Les campagnes de désinformation sur le soutien de la France à l’Ukraine ne faiblissent pas, la preuve 🔎
NON, la France n'a pas envoyé de troupes en #Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/IYAxLXxzMJ
— France Diplomatie🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@francediplo) May 6, 2024
Lavrov recently suggested that Macron’s stance was based on a desire to bolster France’s position in the European Union.
Also on May 6, the French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Paris in what was seen as a show of strength between the EU and Beijing.
That came after British foreign secretary David Cameron indicated to Reuters on May 4 that Ukraine “has the right” to use missiles provided by the UK to target locations deep inside Russia.
Cameron had personally relayed that message to the Ukrainian president Volodymir Zelenski during his last visit to Kyiv on May 2, marking something of a policy shift given previous Western assertions that such weapons were provided to Ukraine solely for defence within its own recognised borders.
Macron is no Napoleon and no Talleyrand: Floating his proposal of sending troops to Ukraine was a work of stunning political ineptness that only boosted Putin, writes @Raphfel. https://t.co/oCVg98BMWk
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) March 1, 2024
