Relying on France involvement in Ukraine settlement impossible: Envoy
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Russian Ambassador to Paris Alexey Meshkov emphasizes that the key participant in Ukraine's conflict is not in Europe, but rather overseas.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, President of France Emmanuel Macron, and Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz give a joint press conference following their meeting in Kiev on June 16, 2022. (AFP)
It is presently impossible to rely on France's global involvement in settling the Ukrainian conflict; instead, its involvement is preferred in specific issues, according to Russian Ambassador to Paris Alexey Meshkov in an interview with Sputnik.
"The main actor is not in Europe, it is located overseas, so European countries cannot play any decisive role in a possible settlement process [in Ukraine]. By the way, Germany and France had their moment of glory when they were guarantors of the Minsk agreements. Unfortunately, they did nothing to have them implemented, so today we cannot count on any global participation of France," Meshkov said.
Russia and France maintain conversations at the level of leaders and ministries to examine the situation in Ukraine, Meshkov told Sputnik.
"There are no specially prepared contacts, but they take place quite regularly and are related to the general situation... This line for communication remains, but more in a situational mode," the Ambassador said when asked if contacts between Russia and France were being prepared in the near future at the level of presidents and foreign or defense ministries.
Read next: France in talks with UAE on replacement of Russian oil supplies
While France's involvement is not reliable, it is worth mentioning that the country is still drowning in the energy crisis that it keeps digging itself deeper into. Petrol stations in France are running dry after energy employees on strike have disrupted the supply. Macron has urged for calm in the now anxious government as dissatisfaction grows among motorists, businesses, and others, and the police forces are deployed to impose a cap on French nationals trying to fill up their tanks and to maintain security as mayhem spreads across the country.
In addition to causing frustration for individual drivers, the shortages have caused havoc for businesses, such as delivery services, medical aid, logistics chains, and taxi companies. “What worries me is [what will happen to] disabled people, because we risk not being there for them if this continues,” said one taxi driver, waiting at a petrol pump in Paris. “I’ve only got half of my reserve tank left.”
