Protesters in France using western weapons sent to Kiev: Zakharova
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Maria Zakharova reveals to reporters that weapons that were given to Kiev by Western nations ended up in the hands of protesters in France against police.
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Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova in Moscow on January 18, 2023. (AP)
According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Thursday, French protesters are utilizing Western weapons originally delivered to Kiev.
Zakharova explained to reporters that "weapons delivered to Kiev [by the West, NATO, and France] end up in the hands of protesters and are used against police in France."
The violent protests that shook France over the murder of a teenager at the hands of the police at a traffic stop, sweeping across the country and even spilling over to neighboring countries such as Switzerland, are now stocking concerns in Germany amid fears of the protests spreading over to the country.
The Trade Union of the Police (GdP) and the Social Association of Germany (SoVD) revealed that they were seeing parallels in terms of the lead-up to the protests, namely in the social developments.
Read next: Riot vs protest: The West's exploitation of media hegemony
Officials also underlined that the situation in Germany is not comparable with France as the country has been suffering under violent protests for days, namely since the death of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old, at the hands of the police, which has so far led to looting, violent clashes with the police, and the arrest of thousands of people.
The cold-blooded murder of Nahel by French police officers in Nanterre has exposed deep division within French societies. The event sparked ablaze a fire that holds within it decades' worth of resentment felt by minorities in France toward authorities.
See this: Rooted division in France exposed in current protests
West should stop delivering weapons to Kiev to resolve conflict: Putin
In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin in a meeting with military correspondents expressed that the Ukrainian military has incurred terrible fatalities, emphasizing that "the enemy was not successful in any of the directions. They have heavy losses."
He stated that if Kiev continues to purchase all of its weaponry and equipment from foreign countries, Ukraine's military sector would soon cease to exist because it is creating nothing. "Ukraine's defense industry will soon completely cease to exist. What are they producing? They are importing ammunition, equipment, weapons, everything. So one cannot live and last long. That is why the issue related to demilitarization is in a very practical dimension," Putin highlighted.
With regard to conflict resolution, the President reiterated that the West must stop supplying Ukraine with weapons if the conflict is to be resolved, adding that the key to solving problems in Ukraine is in their hands. He emphasized that halting arms sales is the key to solving the conflict.
