by Jake Sanders, Editor
Members of the French government are concerned about the Ukraine conflict spiraling out of control and are now exercising “great discretion,” Le Monde reported on Saturday, citing diplomatic sources.
Fears of the confrontation escalating into a direct collision between Moscow and the NATO bloc have skyrocketed over the past few days, as the US and its allies reportedly consider authorizing Kiev to conduct strikes deep in Russian territory using Western weaponry.
While France has announced “no official position” on the matter, unnamed diplomats in private conversations admitted to the French daily that Paris has been concerned about potential escalation and has been trying to avoid it.
“We must do everything possible to avoid World War III,” an unnamed official told the newspaper.
“One cannot simply dismiss the hypothesis that the Russians could expand the scale of their military operations,” the official added, referring to the warnings voiced by top Russian officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Thursday, Putin warned that removing restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western weapons would directly involve the US and its allies in the conflict and would be met with an appropriate response. Explaining his stance, the president said that such weaponry relies solely on Western intelligence and targeting solutions, with Kiev effectively unable to use it on its own.
That position has been reiterated by Russia’s envoy to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, who warned the move would constitute an “open war” between NATO and Russia. “Our Western colleagues will not be able to dodge responsibility and blame Kiev for everything,” Nebenzia stated.