٠٠:٠٤:٢٦Mandatory credit: Russian Society 'Znanie'
Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitri Peskov warned that Western leaders were 'playing with fire' and risking escalation of the Ukraine conflict, while speaking to journalists at the World Youth Forum in Sirius Federal Territory on Wednesday.
"German military officers holding a meeting to discuss bombing our territory. <…> The French president speaks about sending foreign contingents [to Ukraine]. <…> They are all playing with fire. They are taking things towards further degradation of the situation in the Ukrainian conflict. And, of course, this is extremely irresponsible behaviour for politicians," he added.
Peskov also noted that Moscow was seeing a 'large number of controversial statements' coming from Paris.
"Its president is saying that they need to start the discussion on that, he's saying they need to allow for the possibility of sending such foreign contingents to fight in Ukraine in order to defeat Russia. France's foreign minister is denying such possibility, but the very fact of discussing this matter, even if it's done behind the scenes, is of course, very dangerous," said the presidential spokesperson.
French President Emmanuel Macron suggested last week that ground troops could not be 'ruled out' and this week that allies shouldn't be 'cowards', after the UK, Germany and others - as well as NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg - said it wouldn't happen.
Also last week, a leaked German military audio recording saw officers discussing the potential use of Taurus missiles in Ukraine and suggested the UK had troops on the ground - which it has always denied.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
'They are playing with fire' - Peskov on Macron's 'troops in Ukraine', German leaked recording on Taurus
Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitri Peskov warned that Western leaders were 'playing with fire' and risking escalation of the Ukraine conflict, while speaking to journalists at the World Youth Forum in Sirius Federal Territory on Wednesday.
"German military officers holding a meeting to discuss bombing our territory. <…> The French president speaks about sending foreign contingents [to Ukraine]. <…> They are all playing with fire. They are taking things towards further degradation of the situation in the Ukrainian conflict. And, of course, this is extremely irresponsible behaviour for politicians," he added.
Peskov also noted that Moscow was seeing a 'large number of controversial statements' coming from Paris.
"Its president is saying that they need to start the discussion on that, he's saying they need to allow for the possibility of sending such foreign contingents to fight in Ukraine in order to defeat Russia. France's foreign minister is denying such possibility, but the very fact of discussing this matter, even if it's done behind the scenes, is of course, very dangerous," said the presidential spokesperson.
French President Emmanuel Macron suggested last week that ground troops could not be 'ruled out' and this week that allies shouldn't be 'cowards', after the UK, Germany and others - as well as NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg - said it wouldn't happen.
Also last week, a leaked German military audio recording saw officers discussing the potential use of Taurus missiles in Ukraine and suggested the UK had troops on the ground - which it has always denied.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Mandatory credit: Russian Society 'Znanie'
Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitri Peskov warned that Western leaders were 'playing with fire' and risking escalation of the Ukraine conflict, while speaking to journalists at the World Youth Forum in Sirius Federal Territory on Wednesday.
"German military officers holding a meeting to discuss bombing our territory. <…> The French president speaks about sending foreign contingents [to Ukraine]. <…> They are all playing with fire. They are taking things towards further degradation of the situation in the Ukrainian conflict. And, of course, this is extremely irresponsible behaviour for politicians," he added.
Peskov also noted that Moscow was seeing a 'large number of controversial statements' coming from Paris.
"Its president is saying that they need to start the discussion on that, he's saying they need to allow for the possibility of sending such foreign contingents to fight in Ukraine in order to defeat Russia. France's foreign minister is denying such possibility, but the very fact of discussing this matter, even if it's done behind the scenes, is of course, very dangerous," said the presidential spokesperson.
French President Emmanuel Macron suggested last week that ground troops could not be 'ruled out' and this week that allies shouldn't be 'cowards', after the UK, Germany and others - as well as NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg - said it wouldn't happen.
Also last week, a leaked German military audio recording saw officers discussing the potential use of Taurus missiles in Ukraine and suggested the UK had troops on the ground - which it has always denied.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.