Sending soldiers to Ukraine will end badly, Russia tells France
The move would “create problems” for Paris, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has said | Sending troops to Ukraine would be disastrous for France, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told his French counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu, during a rare phone call on Wednesday. The one-hour call was the first conversation between the defense chiefs since October 2022. ● According to the readout provided by the Russian Defense Ministry, Shoigu warned that France “will create problems for itself” if it sends troops to Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly floated the idea of having NATO boots on the ground, suggesting that “all options are possible.” He stressed, however, that Paris has no such plans at the moment. Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said in February that France could at some point send demining and other non-combat personnel. ● Moscow has 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 warned last month.
■ Conflict May Go Beyond Ukraine if NATO Allies Make 'Adventurous' Moves - Russia's Deputy FM (Sputnik News)