Lavrov says does not think Macron 'misspoke' on forces in Ukraine
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed that Russia has been aware of US, UK, and French forces deployed in Ukraine aside from mercenaries.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaks in a panel at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, Friday, March 1, 2024. (AP)
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has disclosed, during his participation in the third Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, attended by representatives from 147 nations, that military personnel from the US, UK, and France are currently stationed in Ukraine, dispelling the notion that only mercenaries from these nations are present.
"Before the coup d’etat [in Ukraine], hundreds of US citizens occupied seats in ministries, just as they now allegedly have their own mercenaries, but in fact there are military officers there — there are UK and French (officers)," Lavrov adding that "We are well aware of this."
Moreover, Lavrov added that Ukraine already hosts NATO forces. He clarified that French President Emmanuel Macron's mention of the potential deployment of NATO troops to Kiev was not a mistake.
"I don’t think he misspoke," Lavrov said referencing Macron's statement before adding "The very fact that they want to deploy troops has been expressed explicitly, but unofficially, they (NATO) are already there."
The Russian Foreign Minister then underscored that "Ukraine would not be able to use these so-called long-ranged weapons against Russian cities without these instructors," reaffirming, "We all understand this perfectly well."
UN takes aim at Macron's remarks of sending troops to Ukraine amid war
The UN has urged against the use of provocative language concerning the war in Ukraine, the official representative of the organization's Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, said during a briefing in response to an inquiry about remarks made by French leader Emmanuel Macron.
French President Emmanuel Macron declared on Monday the formation of a new coalition aimed at providing Ukraine with extended-range missiles and ammunition. He further emphasized that the possibility of deploying Western ground forces to engage in combat in Ukraine should not be dismissed.
In response to a query about whether the UN views Macron's language as escalatory, Dujarric said, “Since the beginning of this conflict, we have seen a lot of rhetoric that has the potential to fuel the fire in an already deadly conflict.”
“Our call to avoid such rhetoric has been consistent from the very beginning. We have been talking about this since the beginning of the conflict,” he said.
Read more: Poking at Macron, FM says 'French people will not die for Ukraine'
