From: The Guardian — Russian defence minister has first phone call with French counterpart since 2022; Russian drones hit Kharkiv, killing five, says regional governor. What we know on day 771
Russia’s defence minister warned his French counterpart against deploying troops to Ukraine in a rare phone call on Wednesday, reports Associated Press (AP). Sergei Shoigu told French defence minister Sébastien Lecornu that if Paris follows up on its statements about the possibility of sending a French military contingent to Ukraine, “it will create problems for France itself”, according to a statement from the Russian defence ministry. It didn’t elaborate. French president Emmanuel Macron said in February that the possibility of western troops being sent to Ukraine could not be ruled out. French officials have since clarified that the suggestion concerned using troops for training and other operations away from frontlines. The call marked the first such contact between Russian and French defence ministers since October 2022, according to AP.
Voice of Ukraine 