Kremlin spokesman accuses France of lying, violating agreements Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry #Peskov accused #France of lying about such issues as the #Minsk agreements and guarantees for former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich. He made the statement in an interview with television host Pavel Zarubin in response to comments by French President #Macron, who said Russia wasn’t honest about the Ukrainian crisis. "There were a lot of lies on the part of France. After all, we remember [former French President Francois] Hollande's statement when he said that, in fact, no one took the Minsk agreements seriously. We remember that in 2014, among other Europeans, the French foreign minister put his signature under a document that guaranteed the then-legitimate Ukrainian President #Yanukovich a political future. That was followed by a coup. That means France, like other countries, did not make good on its guarantees. Was that not a lie? It was a very real lie, and Mr. Macron did not mention that at all," Peskov said, according to a video that the television host posted to Telegram. On March 5, Macron said in an address to the nation that he would begin discussions with allies about the possibility of applying the French nuclear deterrence capability to other countries in Europe, in response to an appeal from Friedrich #Merz, a candidate for German chancellor. The French president also spoke about rising threats to his country and the rest of Europe, including threats that allegedly emanate from Russia. Macron used them as a reason to call for raising defense spending above the previously approved plan. He also stated his intention to continue supporting #Ukraine in the conflict with #Russia. https://thinktank.x-pulse.org//posts/3429

Power in Ukraine usurped, Russia ready to look for who to negotiate with — Putin Power in #Ukraine is #usurped now, but Russia is ready to look for who it could negotiate with, President Vladimir Putin said in reply to questions at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). "The criminal code has relevant articles about usurpations of power, and it looks like we are dealing with usurpation of power [in Ukraine]," Putin stated. Nevertheless, he emphasized that negotiations are still possible. "Because according to Articles 9, 10 and 11 of the [Ukrainian] Constitution, power is transferred to the Rada speaker. So, if there is a wish to negotiate, it is possible to find with whom to negotiate," the Russian president said. #Russia "is ready for these negotiations," #Putin pointed out. "Only, I repeat, on the terms that we agreed on when we started those negotiations in Minsk and then in Istanbul, and not based on some inventions," the Russian president said. At the same time, he emphasized that even if the Istanbul agreements are taken as the basis for negotiations, they must rely on the realities of today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nLJzIsvB_4