MOSCOW

Russia on Monday said France’s supply of tanks to Ukraine will not change the situation on the battlefield, but could exacerbate the suffering of Ukrainian people.

“In principle, these supplies will not, and cannot, change anything in Ukraine. These deliveries can add pain to the Ukrainian people and prolong their suffering,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press briefing in Moscow.

France said last week it will provide Ukraine its AMX 10-RC light battle tanks.

The announcement came in a statement after a phone call between French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine’s Volodymyr​​​​​​​ Zelenskyy, which did not give the exact date or other details of the planned delivery.

Peskov said “it hardly makes sense to talk solely about the French decision,” as all of Europe, the US, and NATO have “have already pumped tens of billions of dollars into Ukraine through arms deliveries.”

Asked about possible talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Macron, Peskov said there are “pauses in their dialogue” but it has proven useful in the past.

Peskov dismissed a statement by Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, who claimed that Moscow was seeking “a Korean type of settlement” in Ukraine with Europe, as “another fake.”

He also rejected rumors of a new wave of mobilization in Russia, saying they were spread on Telegram by anonymous accounts, and urged people to rely on official sources for credible information.

Support for Brazilian President Lula da Silva

The Kremlin spokesman denounced the unrest in Brazil and reaffirmed Russia’s support for President Lula da Silva.

Thousands of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro who refuse to accept his election defeat stormed Brazil’s Congress, presidential palace, and Supreme Court on Sunday, drawing widespread global condemnation.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the actions of the instigators of the riots and absolutely support Brazilian President Lula da Silva, and support his actions aimed at restoring order and law in the country,” said Peskov.

In a separate statement, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned “the actions of radical representatives of the Brazilian opposition.”

“We express our support to President Lula da Silva, who took office on Jan. 1. We are confident that thanks to his authority, confirmed by the results of the people’s will, and his experience of public administration, it will be possible … to overcome the consequences of what happened,” she said.

Zakharova also stressed the importance of maintaining internal political stability in Brazil, which is Russia’s “strategic partner, an active participant in BRICS and the G-20, and currently a member of the UN Security Council.”