No breakthrough yet in Russian-Ukrainian talks : France
I don’t see any signs indicating a real and long-term change in Russia’s position, Jean-Yves Le Drian noted
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian
There has so far been no breakthrough in talks between Russia and Ukraine, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in an interview with the Le Figaro newspaper on Thursday.
“I don’t see any signs indicating a real and long-term change in Russia’s position,” he noted. “Even though its troops are moving slower than the Kremlin expected, I don’t currently see any significant retreat or a ceasefire,” Le Drian added.
“The so-called regime of silence that Russia announced for a few hours in Mariupol yesterday was clearly not enough,” the French top diplomat stressed.
French President Emmanuel Macron plans to maintain dialogue with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to help resolve the Ukrainian crisis, Jean-Yves Le Drian said.
When asked if Macron should maintain dialogue with Putin, he answered in the affirmative. “Yes, because we need to show persistence and determination to create ties that would one day help build dialogue between Putin and [Ukrainian President] Zelensky,” he said.
