Russian diplomat says Macron would be BRICS inappropriate gust, citing France’s hostile policy
A Russian Foreign Ministry diplomat says French President Emmanuel Macron would be an inappropriate guest at a summit of the BRICS group of countries, which is due in Johannesburg in August, citing France's "hostile and unacceptable policy" towards his country.
Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna said Tuesday that Macron could take part in the BRICS summit in South Africa, adding that the decision to invite the president "must be taken, not by France, but by the BRICS and first and foremost by South Africa, which is the host of the summit."
The BRICS group of emerging economies comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Thursday criticized countries that a hostile and unacceptable policy towards us, saying that "leaders of states that pursue such a hostile and unacceptable policy towards us" should not be welcomed at the summit in Johannesburg.
He said leaders who are "discussing with such emphasis and conviction that Russia should be isolated on the international stage, and share the common NATO line on inflicting a so-called strategic defeat on us - such a leader is an inappropriate BRICS guest."
"And we are not hiding this approach of ours, we have told our colleagues from South Africa. We expect that our point of view will be fully accepted," Ryabkov added.
Leaders of France, Germany and Poland gathered in Paris last month for talks focusing on military support for Ukraine against Russia.
Ukraine has been involved in a military conflict with Russia since February last year. Ever since, the West has been providing Kiev with military equipment worth tens of billions of dollars.
Macron has pledged that his government's s support for Kiev will "last as long as it is needed."
He has also said, "We must ensure that Russia will not only not win this unfortunate campaign but also can never repeat it.”
Moscow has warned time and again that providing Kiev with Western weapons and military equipment will only prolong the conflict.
It also argues that the West's anti-Russian moves, including its eagerness to include Ukraine in the NATO military alliance and the alliance's expansion right up to the Russian borders, forced it to start the war in February last year.
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