From "The Analyst":

SHOIGU & LECORNU SPEAK - THE RUSSIANS ARE BOTHERED

Now we have an understanding of an unusual telephone call from the Russian war minister to the French defence minister. The first call in over 22 months.
During the call Sebastien Lecornu said that he offered condolences over the Crocus stadium deaths - diplomatic niceties require it.
Shoigu made it clear that Ukraine was in their view involved in some way, and that if Ukraine was involved they did it because NATO told them to. You can almost imagine those not on the call but listening in, rolling their eyes in the French version of ‘yeah, whatever’.
But Shoigu was on the phone for a reason - he wanted to make it clear that French troops in Ukraine in any capacity ‘would make things very difficult for France’.
Anyone would think that President Macron didn’t know that. But what the call really shows is that the idea that France or Poland or anyone else, putting troops of any kind into Ukraine for any reason, is a situation Russia wants to avoid. It would complicate their situation dramatically and that’s the point. It seems clear that despite the propaganda, Russia knows any confrontation on land with another western ally - especially a nuclear armed one like France where it can’t use its blackmail threats to intimidate it, is not a good prospect. Not least would be the threats of a major western air force that knows what it’s doing.
Clearly the idea of their war on Ukraine taking a turn like this is deeply disturbing for them.
And that’s the entire point of President Macron’s strategy of not setting red lines Russia can see, reach but doesn’t cross, has already worked. Not knowing what the redlines are forces them to be more circumspect and think about what they’re doing. American and German concepts of red lines have done nobody any favours. It’s not a concept Russia likes at all. And the telephone call is the more important in understanding that it’s this policy Russia fears most - because it’s exactly what they would do. Creating strategic ambiguity causes greater uncertainty for anyone making the aggressive moves.
Shoigu also said Russia was still interested in negotiating an end to the war - based on the Istanbul concept - no Ukrainian membership of NATO and Russia gets to keep what it’s already taken. That’s just wishful thinking. Even if it ended up keeping much of what it’s conquered there’s no way Ukraine would concede the NATO aspect now. It’s the only way to guarantee it’s long term security.
All in all the fact of the call is tied to, and the real reason for it - the policy of French strategic ambiguity about what, when and why it might send troops to Ukraine - it’s that that’s triggered a Russian response. And that’s a weakness they should not have been so stupid to reveal. It bothers them. It tells them that the West - and France especially - long a softie on Russia - has finally had enough. And that for Russia is a hard pill to swallow. It’s challenging their very concept of where and why this war is being fought. Finally it’s making Putin think he’s actually gone too far, but he doesn’t have a clue how to get out of it. He’s all in. And for once he’s finally seeing the consequences of his actions have changed the perception in the west of Russia ever being reliable, or trustworthy or even friendly again. That once the war is won Putin would simply be accepted back into the fold is now a pipe dream. It’s actually dawned on him that isn’t going to happen. Ever.
We often fail to understand that more often than we realise, personal experience and thought patterns get deeply ingrained. Relationships between leaders do matter - especially authoritarian leaders who crave legitimacy and acceptance, largely because they know inside themselves their power has no real basis in popular support. Being recognised amongst those they see as their peers is hugely important.
Being rejected as fully as Macron has now rejected Putin - with whom Putin thought he had a deeper personal understanding, is painful for him. CONTINUES…