Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu issued a warning to his French counterpart Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu that if Paris persisted in insisting on sending a French military contingent to Ukraine it would “create problems for itself.” The warnings come after President Macron’s statement in February where he said that the possibility of sending Nato troops to Ukraine could not be ruled.
This is the first interaction between the two defence ministers since October 2022.
In response to calls for dialogue the Russian defence ministry statement quoted Shoigu as saying that Moscow had always been ready for “dialogue on Ukraine.” According to a report in rt.com he added that possible future negotiations could be based on a draft document, which was discussed during the Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul in March 2022.
He however warned that a proposed peace conference to be held in Geneva would not yield any results without Moscow’s participation. On January 15 this year, Switzerland had agreed to President Zelensky’s request to hold a peace conference in Geneva in July this year without Russia’s participation. The conference will focus on the 10-point peace formula proposed by Zelensky in 2022
President Zelensky who has spoken with Prime Minister Modi has urged India to join the peace summit in Switzerland. Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba who paid a two-day official visit to India last month also urged India to join. “If India wants to lead, it has to move. Having India’s confirmation of support for the peace formula will mean having a big player on board. India is a voice that matters to others, especially in the Global South, and it will help to convince them,” he said during a press interaction with Indian media. Kuleba had also spoken about a possible role for India in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction and the need for expanding trade and technology ties.
Coming back to Nato troops on Ukrainian soil, Moscow has repeatedly stated that it will treat Western troops and foreign-supplied weapons systems on Ukrainian soil as legitimate targets. The deployment of foreign forces would be a major escalation, leading to “irreparable consequences,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has warned last month. So far despite President Macron’s remarks, France has not firmly committed to sending troops to Ukraine with President Macron himself stating that “no such plans are there at the moment.”
