Gonzalo Fuentes / REUTERS
Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu spoke for an hour on Thursday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Choïgu.
The phone call could pass for a resumption of contact. This is not the case officially. However, the Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu spoke for an hour on Thursday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Choïgu. The two men spoke about the attack which devastated Moscow on March 22 and which was claimed by the Islamic State in Khorasan. Since then, Russia has sought to incriminate Ukraine, in the context of its war launched in February 2022. “The threat from ISIS against Russia is real», Confirms on the contrary a European intelligence specialist.
After condemning the attack which affected the Russian people, Head of State Emmanuel Macron recalled that France was always willing to share information with Russia as part of the common fight against the terrorist threat. Thursday, Sébastien Lecornu “confirmed that France had no information to establish a link between this attack and Ukraine“. “He called on Russia to stop all exploitation», added the ministry in a cold and factual press release. There is no question of giving the feeling of supporting the Kremlin regime which seeks to exploit the attack to increase its offensive against kyiv.
An evolving threat
French intelligence services are still mobilized in the fight against terrorism, while the threat continues to evolve. But exchanges between countries, essential to anticipate the threat, are disrupted by the conflict led by Russia against Ukraine. The American services had nevertheless warned their Russian counterparts of the possibility of an attack. On Thursday, Minister Sébastien Lecornu recalled that France was willing to continue sharing intelligence with Russia in matters of counterterrorism.
The discussion was not limited to terrorism. There was also talk of the war in Ukraine without knowing the details of the exchange. The Minister “recalled that France will continue to support Ukraine as long and as intensely as necessary in its fight for freedom and sovereignty, in order to bring peace and security to the European continent“, indicated the ministry in its press release. Since the start of the year, France has changed its tone towards Russia, no longer excluding any scenario, in the name of strategic ambiguity.
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The last conversation between Sébastien Lecornu and Sergueï Choïgou dates from October 23, 2022. It took place “at the request of the latter“. Westerners then feared a nuclear escalation. Sergei Shoigu had “says he fears a strike from dirty bomb by the Ukrainians on their territory to blame it on Russia”, explained the Ministry of the Armed Forces, without believing Moscow’s assertions. Dialogue had become impossible.
Thursday’s call indicates that Paris has not completely given up on maintaining a link with Moscow. A few months before the Olympic Games, France does not want to neglect any potential source of information to prevent potential risks weighing on the event. It remains to be seen whether France and Russia will be able to dissociate all subjects.