MOSCOW 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that relations between Moscow and Paris are "now at a low point," partly due to France's actions that curb free speech, limit information dissemination, and respect for journalism. 

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow following a meeting with Yemeni Foreign Minister Shaya Mohsen al-Zindani, Lavrov said Russia has requested access to businessman Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the encrypted messaging app Telegram, who was arrested on Aug. 24 in France, noting that the request is currently under review by French authorities.

"Durov has been detained clearly on someone's advice and threatened with severe punishment in an attempt to gain access to encryption codes. The actions of the French authorities have proven that Telegram is indeed a reliable and popular network," said Lavrov.

Russian media alleged that Durov's arrest may have been ordered by French President Emmanuel Macron, following a request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who believes Telegram is crucial for Russian military communications.

He said the UAE, where Durov is a citizen, is working to resolve the issue and has assembled a legal team to get immediate access to him.    

Some 'participants' in Gaza conflict want fighting to continue 

Concerning the current situation in Gaza, Lavrov said some “participants” involved in the conflict appear to have a vested interest in continuing the fighting, hoping for a change in the global political landscape.

The Israeli side is reportedly waiting for developments in the US elections in early November, hoping for an outcome that would ease international pressure on Tel Aviv, he noted.

He condemned the ongoing conflict in Gaza as a violation of international law and criticized Israeli statements that labeled all Gazan civilians as "terrorists," calling such views "the most dangerous mentality."    

Lavrov dismisses Zelenskyy's remarks 

Regarding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's remarks about the Kursk region incursion, in which he claimed that Western countries prevented Kyiv from striking deep into Russian territory, Lavrov simply said "blackmail."

Earlier, British government officials made contradictory statements about allowing Kyiv to use Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russia. According to British media, London is purposefully obscuring the situation to keep Moscow guessing about its true position.

However, the top Russian diplomat described this strategy as "playing with fire."

He also said the West is deliberately pushing Zelenskyy to escalate relations with Moscow to elicit a drastic Russian response, hinting at the potential use of nuclear weapons.

"It won't work.... You won't be able to provoke us," Lavrov emphasized.

When asked if Russia would consider attending a new meeting on the Ukrainian settlement if it were held in one of the global South countries, Lavrov said Russia believes such Western-sponsored gatherings are attempts to pressure Moscow into accepting Zelenskyy's terms.

Russia, he stressed, is only willing to engage in negotiations where no one imposes ultimatums.

"If the West is genuinely interested in normalizing the situation in Europe, from which Europeans themselves are already suffering, then we need to sit down at the negotiating table calmly, without any papers like the so-called Zelenskyy formula, and start an honest dialogue," he said.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Shaya Mohsen al-Zindani, for his part, expressed interest in Russia's assistance in resolving the situation in the Red Sea and the Middle East as a whole.
"The escalation in the Red Sea harms global security. We are interested in the Russian Federation playing a crucial role in resolving such situations, as well as the crisis in the Middle East through political and diplomatic means, leveraging its contacts with other countries," he said.