Russia terms France 'unfriendly state' due its to hostile actions against Moscow

On August 5, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Kremlin, referred to France as an unfriendly nation because of the actions that Paris is taking toward Russia. In response to the question of why Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron, the presidents of Russia and France, have not spoken on the phone in a long time, he said that it is not necessary right now.

Peskov told reporters, "Firstly, France is an unfriendly state due to the actions that France is taking towards our country. And they don’t call each other because they think that the moment has not come, and at the moment this is not necessary."

Lavrov slams Macron for calling Russia 'Imperial Colonial Power'

Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, slammed French President Emmanuel Macron on July 29, for insulting Russia by calling Moscow "one of the last imperial colonial powers" of the "early 20th, even the 19th century." The Russian Foreign Minister responded to the harsh statement made by the French president by saying that he had anticipated "more ethical statements from the French side."

During his three-nation tour of Africa, Macron widely criticised the Russian government while giving a speech in the former French colonies of Benin and Cameroon, where he was visiting this week to mend fences. According to the French President, the Russian Federation is attempting to assert its dominance in the African region by cynically using fuel and food as leverage, and that it is "waging an imperial-style war of conquest."

France issues warning of energy crisis due to Russia's actions

In the meantime, the French government issued a warning on August 3 that companies may need to cut back on energy use this winter even though the nation's natural gas reserves are fully utilised due to Russia's ongoing reduction of its gas exports to Europe. The industrial sector in France still depends on gas, and millions of people use it to heat their homes, despite the fact that it is less dependent on Russian supplies than other EU nations.

France also produces about three-quarters of its electricity from nuclear power plants. Even though France is rushing to replenish its gas supplies, winter shortages remain a possibility. Additionally, France is facing a winter with fewer of its nuclear plants operating due to maintenance or safety concerns, which could put a strain on electricity supplies.

Image: AP