In a recent interview with Le Parisien, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Le Drian stated that there are no French mercenaries fighting in Ukraine. Le Drian further revealed that the French ambassador to Russia has been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address this issue.
The minister dismissed these claims as a tactic used by Russia to exert periodic pressure on European states. He described it as one of Russia’s crude manipulations, to which they have become accustomed. Le Drian emphasized the need to resist being drawn into such tactics, stating, “More of these manipulations will follow, so we must not allow ourselves to be involved.”
Le Drian also mentioned that he personally visited Kyiv and had a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He reiterated that France will continue to support Ukraine in the long term.
This statement comes in response to earlier remarks made by Florian Philippot, the leader of the French movement “Patriots,” who called for an end to the spread of propaganda that encourages people to become mercenaries in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ counteroffensive has been acknowledged.
