The spokesperson for French diplomacy joined Western skepticism about possible advances by the Russian government towards a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
France will judge Russia on “actions, not announcementsin Ukraine, said the spokeswoman for French diplomacy on Wednesday March 30, believing that Moscow could also seek to “win timeby “playing the game of negotiation”.
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“You have to be very careful in evaluating the progress of the negotiation“, as well as announcements of”drastic reductionof Russian military activity in kyiv and Cherniguiv (North), noted Anne-Claire Legendre on France Info radio. After three hours of negotiations in Istanbul, the head of the Russian delegation and representative of the Kremlin, Vladimir Medinski, reported on Tuesday that “substantial discussions» and says that the proposals «clearof kyiv with a view to an agreement would bestudied very soon and submitted to the President” Vladimir Poutine.”
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“The war continues to be played out”
We must judge by deeds what Russia has to put on the table“, insisted the spokesperson, adding the voice of France to the concert of Western skepticism on the possible advances towards a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the conflict. “We have seen several rounds in the past that did not yield any results“, she recalled in reference to the Russian-Ukrainian talks underway since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine on February 24. “We have also seen in other fields Russia play the game of negotiation to save time, also to maintain a certain confusion in the minds of public opinion.“, she underlined, in an allusion to Syria.
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Cherniguiv was bombedAll night long“, despite the announcement made the day before by Moscow, announced for his part the governor of the region. “Russia did not use the word withdrawal. (..) We see that the war continues to be played out on the entire Ukrainian territory“Said the spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “What we see today is that the Russian offensive has in fact encountered a number of obstacles, internal logistical obstacles but also Ukrainian resistance that it had not anticipated (..)“, pointed out Anne-Claire Legendre. Emmanuel Macron spoke with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. The French presidency then declined to comment on the results of the Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul.
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