Paris is reportedly concerned that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could escalate into a world war.
Members of the French government are concerned that the conflict in Ukraine is spiralling out of control and are now applying pressure. “great discretion”, This was reported by Le Monde on Saturday, citing diplomatic sources.
Fears that the confrontation could escalate into a direct collision between Moscow and the NATO bloc have soared in recent days, with the United States and its allies reportedly considering authorising kyiv to attack targets inside Russian territory using Western weapons.
While France has announced “no official position” In this regard, anonymous diplomats admitted to the French newspaper in private conversations that Paris is worried about a possible escalation and has been trying to avoid it.
“We must do everything possible to prevent World War III,” An anonymous official told the newspaper.
“The hypothesis that the Russians might expand the scale of their military operations cannot be simply ruled out,” The official added, referring to warnings voiced by senior Russian officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Thursday, Putin warned that lifting restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western weapons would directly involve the United States and its allies in the conflict and would be met with an appropriate response. Explaining his stance, the president said that such weapons rely exclusively on Western intelligence and targeting solutions, and that kyiv cannot use them on its own.
That position has been reiterated by Russia's UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, who warned that the measure would constitute a “open war” between NATO and Russia. “Our Western colleagues will not be able to evade responsibility and blame kyiv for everything,” Nebenzia said.
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