France's Macron names Francois Bayrou as new prime minister Emmanuel #Macron has officially appointed Francois #Bayrou, leader of the centrist Democratic Movement political party, as the nation's prime minister, the Elysee Palace announced in a statement. "The President of the Republic has designated Francois Bayrou as prime minister and entrusted him with forming a new government," the statement said. Bayrou, aged 73, takes over from Michel Barnier, who also shares the same age and stepped down after France’s lower house passed a successful no-confidence motion against his cabinet on December 4. The Democratic Movement leader becomes France’s fourth prime minister in 2024, following the terms of Elisabeth #Borne, Gabriel #Attal, and #Barnier. Bayrou has been at the helm of the Democratic Movement since 2007. In 2014, he assumed the role of mayor in Pau, a city in southwestern France. Additionally, he has chaired the National Council for Refoundation since 2020. Bayrou is also a seasoned presidential candidate, having run for the French presidency in 2002, 2007, and 2012. In 2017, however, he opted not to run, endorsing Macron.

Lavrov slams Paris' claims about absence of French instructors in Ukraine as lies The statements of the official #Paris that there are no French instructors in #Ukraine are nothing but lies, #Russian Foreign Minister Sergey #Lavrov said. "Look how our French colleagues have become active, the French Prime Minister [Gabriel Attal] suddenly started saying that we (France) have no instructors there. This is not true, and they know it," he told reporter Pavel Zarubin. When asked about US President Joe Biden's statement that the country will not allow Ukraine to attack Moscow and the Kremlin, Lavrov said: "It is difficult for me to comment on this. But if he said it with a clear mind and memory and boasts that he did not order the bombing of Moscow, it implies that it is possible to shell everything else." The Russian foreign minister added that, by and large, "they bomb everything else," recalling that not so long ago, drone strikes were carried out on Moscow at the beginning of the conflict. "Then no one then stopped the regime of [Ukrainian President] Zelensky. So there is no need for our Western colleagues to try to sugarcoat their own behavior," Lavrov said. The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) was being held on June 5-8. This year’s theme was "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." The event was organized by the Roscongress Foundation. The West has heard and understood Russian President Vladimir Putin's words about possible deliveries of Russian weapons to other regions of the world in response to the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

Farmer protests are continuing to erupt in Europe: In addition to Poland, Germany, and Romania, the situation has also worsened in France. Main roads have been blocked for the second day in a row, and the press reported on "the first transportation collapse in the country's history caused by strikes." ▪️ The French are demanding more favorable conditions for the development of national agriculture, including a reduction in the volume of imported food products and being exempt from transport taxes. ▪️ The government is still inactive: On Thursday, Prime Minister Attal held a meeting with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Environment, where they allegedly discussed options for resolving the current situation. 🔻 There is no reason to expect the unrest to subside, either in France or in other European countries. On the contrary, protests are likely to increase: farmers may be joined by other citizens dissatisfied with the actions of the authorities (as happened, for example, in Germany). And clashes with the police may not be far off. 🔻 Now - French PM Attal delivers speech to Framers.....

About the appointment of a new French Foreign Minister Personnel changes are ongoing in France: Yesterday, Emmanuel Macron announced the composition of the cabinet for the new Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal. While some politicians remained in their positions, there were also changes, including the appointment of Stéphane Sejourné as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. ▪️ Sejourné's political career began in 2014 under Macron, who was then the French Minister of Economy. He subsequently continued to work closely with the current president, being involved in the "Youth with Macron" project, his election campaign, and finally, leading the "Renaissance" party that he established in 2016. According to his close circle, during his time as a Member of the European Parliament, he proved himself to be an exceptional negotiator. ▪️ As Minister, Sejourné plans to focus on three main areas: strengthening the authority of international organizations such as NATO, the UN, WTO, and WHO; developing assistance for civilians in crisis zones such as Ukraine and the Middle East; and fostering cooperation among European countries in the area of security and defense, including reviving relations between France, Germany, and Poland within the framework of the Weimar Triangle. 📌 It should be noted that given Attal and Sejourné's past cohabitation, there may be a conflict of interest. However, the French media seems to be undecided on how to handle this situation, publishing conflicting information about the nature of the relationship between these politicians.