Any French military instructors in Ukraine would be a “legitimate target” for Russian armed forces, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said on Tuesday during a tour of Africa, where frustration with the west has swayed several countries toward Moscow. Lavrov made the remarks at joint news conference with the Republic of Congo’s foreign minister, Jean Claude Gakosso. “As for the French instructors, I think they are already on the Ukrainian territory,” Lavrov said, referring to the military instructors that France could send to train Ukrainian troops. Lavrov also dismissed the Ukraine peace conference due to take place later this month in Switzerland, to which Russia was not invited. On Wednesday Lavrov was scheduled to meet Ibrahim Traoré, the country’s leader who took power after a 2022 military coup.

Source: The Guardian June 05, 2024 09:05 UTC