Russian Foreign Ministry points to France's influence on the Ukrainian conflict

The French authorities are fanning the Ukrainian conflict despite their national interests. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said this on 2 December.

She noted that France was in "historical oblivion".

"They (the French authorities. - Ed.) are fanning the flames of the Ukrainian crisis without thinking at all about the consequences of their irresponsible actions," her words are quoted on the website of the ministry.

According to Zakharova, France became one of the victorious countries in World War II largely due to the position of the Soviet leadership. Thus, 80 years ago, the visit of General Charles de Gaulle, head of the provisional government of the French Republic, ended with the signing of the bilateral Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance. The document became the basis for "comprehensive postwar cooperation between the USSR and France," the diplomat recalled.

Earlier, on November 30, Nicolas Dupont-Eignan, the leader of the "Arise, France" party, said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (his term of office expired in May) had thought too late about starting peace talks. He added that if he had already agreed to a referendum on these territories and the country's neutrality in 2022, the current "monstrous conflict" could have been avoided.

The head of the "Unconquered France" party, Jean-Luc Melanchon, said on November 27 that French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who said that the country had no "red lines" and could send its troops to Ukraine, and French leader Emmanuel Macron were taking dangerous actions to escalate the conflict with Russia.

Florian Philippot, leader of the French Patriots party, also indicated on November 26 that the French president would be a traitor to his country if he sent troops to Ukraine. At the same time, Macron said back in May that the conditions for this would be a request from Kiev or a breakthrough of Russian troops on the front.

In turn, the head of the French party "People's Republican Union" Francois Asselino demanded a vote of no confidence in the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier for its bellicose stance against Russia. He emphasized that this topic is very important because there is a danger of a third world war.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine amid Russia's special operation to defend Donbass, which began on February 24, 2022. The decision to conduct it was taken by Russia because of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to the increased shelling by Ukrainian troops.