France has expressed its desire to maintain contacts with Russia

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said in an interview with LCI TV that Paris does not want to break relations with Moscow, which currently exist at all levels.

,,I had the opportunity to speak with the Russian foreign minister (Serghei Lavrov), we also met at international conferences, for example, during the last G20 summit. In addition, we have an ambassador in Russia’’, said Colonna.

According to the minister, diplomatic contacts between the two states continue, allowing an exchange of opinions, requests and messages, although ,,they are not always simple’’.

Earlier, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said that together with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov, he studied the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and tactical and strategic issues during a visit to Kyiv on December 28, 2022. Lecornu added that Paris has a €200 million fund that will allow it to purchase equipment directly from French manufacturers, including TRF1 155mm towed howitzers, promising that military equipment that had already been delivered to Kyiv would also be repaired.

Thus, the minister confirmed that France will continue unconditional support for Ukraine in the current year, also having a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss military aid to the AFU and the possible supply of additional anti-aircraft missile systems.