Russia is outraged due to recent statements by Stephane Séjourné, French Foreign Affairs Minister, about France’s unwillingness to negotiate with Russia and has summoned the French ambassador to Moscow to its Foreign Ministry.

The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed in its statement on 12 April that it would summon the French diplomat due to recent statements by French Foreign Minister Stephane Séjourné that the French side was not interested in negotiations with Russian officials since their published statements are false.

"We consider these statements by the head of the French Foreign Ministry as a deliberate and elaborate step by the French side, aimed at disrupting any possibility of a dialogue between the two countries," the Russian Foreign Ministry states.

A few days ago, Séjourné told the French media that France was no longer interested in negotiating with Russian officials.

"We are not interested in talking to Russian officials since the press releases and reports published afterwards are untruthful," Séjourné stated.

Séjourné’s statement is connected with a recent phone conversation between French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu.

This conversation was their first interaction since October 2022. It mainly concerned the terrorist attack committed in Moscow Oblast on 22 March by ISIS.

Afterwards, Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed that "the readiness for the dialogue concerning Ukraine was indicated" during the conversation. In response, a representative of the French government called this statement false.