France summons the Russian ambassador in Paris over “unacceptable threats” to diplomats in kyiv

The French Foreign Ministry summoned this Wednesday the Russian ambassador in Paris, Alexei Meshkov, due to the recent wave of attacks against the Ukrainian capital, kyiv, and the “unacceptable threats” to both Ukrainian civilians and foreign diplomats after Moscow requested their immediate evacuation.

“With its actions, Russia demonstrates every day its cynicism and contempt for International Law. France firmly condemns Moscow’s intimidation, which is proof of the military impasse in which the country finds itself in Ukraine,” a spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Paris has once again called on Moscow to “end its war of illegal aggression” against Ukraine and has reiterated that it “remains committed to defending European security and supporting” kyiv.

This comes after the Russian Foreign Ministry urged foreign citizens, including staff from diplomatic missions and offices of international organizations, to leave kyiv due to the wave of attacks it launched on the capital in retaliation for the Ukrainian attack that left more than twenty people dead in a student residence in an area occupied by Russia in Luhansk.

Moscow’s warnings were also for the residents of kyiv, who were urged not to approach the military and administrative infrastructure of the Government led by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain have summoned Russian diplomatic representatives in their respective countries. Likewise, the European Union has also summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Russian Federation’s mission to the EU, Karen Malaya, to protest these threats.