President Emmanuel Macron blasted Russia’s “threatening” tone on Thursday, following rare phone conversations between the French and Russian defense ministers that highlighted the widening rift between Moscow and Europe two years into the invasion of Ukraine.
Analysts said the communication following the deadly Moscow attack claimed by Islamic State would not signal a shift in strategy from Russia or France under Macron, who has not ruled out sending combat forces to Ukraine.
According to the French defense ministry, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu informed Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, a long-time ally of President Vladimir Putin, that France was prepared to increase exchanges to combat “terrorism”.
The one-hour phone talk came as France prepares to host the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
Russia, for its turn, cautioned France that it hoped the French secret services were not engaged in the recent attack on a concert hall in Moscow claimed by Islamic State fanatics, according to a Russian defense ministry statement.
“The Russians’ comments were bizarre and threatening,” Macron told reporters, adding that any insinuation that France was engaged in the tragic attack was “ridiculous.”
‘Arsenal of war’
Macron said France has been in communication with Russia because it had “useful information” about the origin and organization of the attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue, which killed at least 144 people.
“I asked the directors of the services at the appropriate ministries to have technical discussions with their (Russian) counterparts to express a message of solidarity and because we had useful information — I am not going to reveal it here — on the origin and organisation of this attack,” Macron said.
“It’s ridiculous to say that France is behind it, that the Ukrainians are behind it… It does not correspond to reality, it’s a manipulation of information which is part of Russia’s arsenal of war,” he added.
The Kremlin and Russian propaganda have promoted the story that the West and Ukraine were related to the assailants, which the West and Kyiv have rejected as ludicrous.
Following the conversation between Lecornu and Shoigu, Moscow stated that “readiness for dialogue on Ukraine was noted” during the phone call. France promptly rejected such suggestion.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow’s communication with Western leaders has dwindled to a trickle.
Some in France chastised the French administration after Wednesday’s talks.
“You have seen how Russia exploits this kind of discussion,” former president Francois Hollande told broadcaster France Inter. “My recommendation is no contact with Russia.”
Macron defended his stance, saying there will be “joint work with all those affected by terrorism”.
‘Failed gesture’
“It seems to have been a failed gesture by France,” Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at risk analysis firm Eurasia Group, told AFP, referring to the phone call.
“I don’t think, however, that it suggests Macron is getting cold feet about possible boots on the ground. If anything, the exchange proves his point. Moscow is beyond any reasonable discussion with the West, even on subjects of mutual concern.”
Alexander Gabuev, head of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, emphasized the need of France continuing to communicate with Russia in order to avoid any “dangerous encounters” in Ukraine.
“In this sense, it is normal to maintain normal channels of communication through the military,” Gabuev told AFP.
He claimed Moscow was “interested” in making it appear as if Western countries “now want to negotiate with it.”
Tatiana Stanovaya, head of political analysis firm R. Politik, claimed Moscow was “flattered” to have gotten the call but intended to use it to feed its anti-Ukrainian narrative, unconcerned about any potential backlash.
“There is no positive agenda at all, no interest in resuming cooperation with France, either,” Stanovaya told AFP.