Western nations, including France, have consistently maintained that no decisions on Ukraine’s future can be made without its participation, maintaining a united front in support of Kyiv. But is the reality different?

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that France has repeatedly appealed to Russia through closed channels, proposing that they establish a dialogue on the Russian-Ukrainian war without Ukraine's participation.

In a diplomatic hit-job, the Russian foreign minister also criticized Macron’s ideas on post-war peacekeeping forces in Ukraine.