Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claims that France approached Moscow to discuss the future of Ukraine, but without including Kiev in the talks.

“Several times, through closed channels, our French colleagues contacted us… By the way, without Ukraine,” Lavrov said in an interview with various media outlets cited by the RIA Novosti news agency.

Paris responded to Lavrov’s attempted diplomatic coup by saying Russia should take full responsibility for ending the war it started, insisting a peace treaty could only be concluded on Ukraine’s terms.

“The Russian authorities are used to making intemperate statements intended to manipulate an aggressive war for which they bear full responsibility. If Russia wants peace, it must end the war,” a French diplomatic official said in response to Lavrov’s comments.

“As France has reiterated since the beginning of the war, it is up to Ukraine, the aggressor country, to determine the time and conditions under which it wishes to engage in a negotiation process. Ukraine has proposed a peace formula that France supports. The peace agreement that will be concluded without the Ukrainians could never lead to lasting peace,” the official added.

In his attack on France, Lavrov criticized what he described as France’s “ambiguous” stance. He took aim at French President Emmanuel Macron’s initiative to create a post-war peacekeeping force in Ukraine.