France is ready to send hundreds of troops to Romania and take responsibility for forming an international force to defend the NATO country in the vicinity of Ukraine if the Organisation decides to do so, the French foreign minister Florence Parly said in an interview for France Inter radio station, according to EFE, quoted by Agerpres.

This development, if it takes place, "is not aimed to lead to any military escalation," the French minister emphasized, in the context of the crisis related to Ukraine, Bursa.ro reported.

"The dialogue is continuing, and we are convinced that we must resolve this conflict through dialogue and diplomatic solutions," Parly said, referring to Paris' initiatives in this regard, such as the telephone conversation President Emmanuel Macron had with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday.

But at the same time, the French minister said that "we are realistic, we are lucid, and we are preparing", given the mobilization of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers in recent weeks near the border with Ukraine and some movements in recent days in Belarus.

andrei@romania-insider.com

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