MFA spokesperson accuses Macron of "manipulation" over Russia policy

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of contradictory and manipulative behaviour over his stance on Russia, amid rising tensions over maritime sanctions enforcement.

Zakharova said Western states were “returning to the legalisation and indulgence of piracy at the state level,” referring to recent actions by France and its allies against vessels linked to Russia, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

Her comments followed Macron’s statement that the French Navy, with support from the United Kingdom and other partners, had detained the sanctioned tanker Tagor in the Atlantic Ocean after it departed from Russia.

Criticising what she described as inconsistent messaging from Western leaders, Zakharova said statements on resuming dialogue with Russia were undermined by simultaneous enforcement actions.

“One of the most topical questions is what Western statements regarding Russia actually mean,” she said, adding that such rhetoric amounted to “an attempt to mislead in order to later use it for their own interests.”

She further argued that the approach reflected a broader “distortion of meanings” in international communication, affecting not only foreign policy but wider information narratives.

By Aghakazim Guliyev