After call with Shoigu, France’s Lecornu to speak with his Ukrainian counterpart

The Minister of the Armed Forces of France, Sébastien Lecornu, after talking with Russian defense chief Sergei Shoigu, will soon talk with his Ukrainian counterpart.

This is stated in the press release of the French ministry posted on Twitter, Ukrinform reports.

The release states that on October 23, Lecornu had a conversation with his Russian colleague Sergei Shoigu at the latter's request, during which Shoigu claimed that he was "concerned over a dirty bomb attack on the territory of Ukraine in order to blame Russia for this."

In this regard, the statement reads: "The Minister of Armed Forces recalled that France rejects any form of escalation, including nuclear escalation. France calls on Russia to stop its aggressive war against Ukraine, and does everything possible to promote de-escalation."

Lecornu also emphasized that France is determined to contribute to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, together with its allies.

"The ministers agreed to maintain contact. In the near future, the minister of the armed forces will have a conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart," the communiqué states.

As reported, the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu, held phone calls with the top defense officials of France, Turkey, and Great Britain, during which he "expressed concern" in connection with the alleged possible use of the so-called "dirty bomb" by Ukraine.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine has decried the Russian claim, stating that his country is committed to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, adding that Russia traditionally blames others for what it plans to do itself.