Ukraine - Q&A (15 Jun. 2022)

Q: The press service of the Russian Prosecutor-General’s Office says there is evidence that the Ukrainian armed forces are currently using French cluster munitions, which is prohibited under international law. Can you comment on that statement by the Russian Prosecutor-General?

A: France maintains its support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian aggression, which it condemns in the strongest possible terms. We call on Russia to end the hostilities and withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory. We urge it to comply with international humanitarian law, in view of the many reports of multiple violations committed by Russian armed forces in the course of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

Allegations circulating in the Russian media and amplified by social media asserting that France is supplying Ukraine with cluster munitions are totally false. France fully complies with its obligations under the Oslo Convention on Cluster Munitions, to which it is a party State, and which Russia chose not to join. We condemn Russia’s repeated, indiscriminate use of these weapons in Ukraine in violation of international humanitarian law.