France and Germany both summoned the Russian ambassadors in their capitals on Monday over alleged cyber attacks and hybrid warfare operations targeting European countries, as President Emmanuel Macron hosted a “coalition of the willing” summit in Paris to discuss the next phase of support for Ukraine.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said France would publicly condemn a cyberhacking campaign that Russia has carried out against European countries, including France. “Today, we will publicly condemn a cyberhacking campaign that Russia has carried out against European countries including France,” Barrot said. He confirmed the Russian ambassador would be summoned.
Germany joined the diplomatic action, also summoning its Russian ambassador over what Berlin described as a pattern of cyber and hybrid attacks aimed at destabilizing European institutions and infrastructure.
The coordinated diplomatic action came as Macron welcomed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Paris for the latest meeting of the “coalition of the willing”, a group of European nations committed to sustaining military and economic support for Ukraine regardless of US political dynamics.
The summit agenda included Ukraine’s latest battlefield advances and whether they could force Russian President Vladimir Putin toward serious negotiations. Zelenskyy has been pushing for more long-range weapons and a clearer path to NATO membership, while European leaders are wrestling with how to sustain aid as the war enters its fifth year.
The Kremlin said it would “closely follow” the Paris meeting and blamed the coalition for prolonging the war.
The dual summoning of Russian ambassadors marks a rare moment of coordinated Franco-German action on Russia policy, a relationship that has been strained in recent years by Berlin’s hesitancy on certain Ukraine aid packages. The cyber attack allegations add a new dimension to the confrontation, suggesting that Russia is waging a quiet war on European computer networks alongside the conventional war in Ukraine.
Russia has not yet responded publicly to the summons in either capital.