PARIS, April 9. /TASS/. France believes it is unadvisable to hold talks with Russian officials now, as statements that Russia releases following talks contain inaccurate information, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said on France 24 television.

The minister said that France and Russia "have a long history of cooperation in the fight against terrorism." But he also said that "it is not currently in the interest of France to hold discussions with Russian representatives because their communiques on the results of such talks are false." According to Sejourne, "trust must be restored" before discussions can resume.

On April 3, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu spoke by phone for the first time since October 2022. They discussed the attack on the concert hall and the issue of Ukraine. Shoigu told his counterpart he hoped French special services were not involved in the attack. On the subject of the Elysee Palace's statements about sending French troops to Ukraine, Shoigu told his counterpart that "if they are put into practice, it will create problems for France itself," the Russian Defense Ministry said following the talks.