Moscow says French instructors in Ukraine 'legitimate targets' for Russian armed forces

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - French military instructors working in Ukraine are "legitimate targets" for the Russian armed forces, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

Commenting on media reports claiming the first group of French officers may arrive in Ukraine this week at a news conference in the city of Oyo following a meeting with his counterpart from the Republic of Congo Jean-Claude Gakosso, Lavrov said there are a lot of facts confirming that the French servicemen have been working in Ukraine for some time.

"I have reason to believe, in this regard, there are many concrete facts that French instructors are already working in Ukraine. Whoever they are, members of the French armed forces or simply mercenaries, they represent an absolutely legitimate target for our armed forces," he stressed.

The minister then turned to the initiative of Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso on summoning an "all-Libyan peace conference," pledging Russia's support in bringing the warring sides together.

"We fully support the initiative of the President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso to prepare a truly pan-Libyan conference and will use our contacts with various Libyan forces to rally them on this platform," he asserted.

The Russian top diplomat noted that the conference may contribute to solving the main challenge that the country is currently facing -- to help the opposing sides reconcile and develop a common approach to the restoration of Libya's statehood.

Reacting to media reports claiming the US State Department banned former central intelligence officer and political expert Scott Ritter from leaving the country for a visit to Russia, Lavrov said: "This is just another example in addition to the many that confirm that the US, which calls itself 'the global leader of democracy', has long been a police state."

Russia cannot take any practical steps to help Ritter overcome restrictions because he is not a Russian citizen, he said.