 Russia's Defence Minister, sending French soldiers to Ukraine will end badly. Russia claims that following a telephone conversation between Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and his French counterpart, Sebastian Le Corneux, Paris has expressed readiness to engage in dialogue regarding Ukraine or discuss potential peace talks. However, France denies making any such statement, according to Reuters. Two years after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defence said that in the conversation between French Defence Minister Sebastian Le Corneux and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu that readiness for a dialogue on Ukraine was noted. According to Shoigu, discussions could have stemmed from the 2022 talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey, which ended without results. It is not true. At no moment did we show any willingness to dialogue on Ukraine or negotiations or anything like that. A source in the French government said, meaningful peace talks between Russia and Ukraine broke down in the spring of 2022 with both sides accusing each other of making unrealistic demands. Sergei Shoigu told his French counterpart that sending troops to Ukraine would be disastrous for France. According to the readout provided by the Russian Defence Ministry, Shoigu warned that France will create problems for itself if it sends troops to Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly floated the idea of having NATO boots on the ground, suggesting that all options are possible. He stressed, however, that Paris has no such plans at the moment. Stéphane Sejon said in February that France could at some point send demining and other non-combat personnel. Le Corneux reiterated during the call that France will continue to support Ukraine as long and as intensely as necessary in its fight for freedom and sovereignty in order to bring peace and security to the European continent, according to the French Defence Ministry. A major earthquake of magnitude 7.4 struck the central east coast of Taiwan, roughly 20 kilometers south of the city of Hualien, locals near the epicenter described severe to violent ground shaking during the quake, strong enough to make standing and driving a vehicle difficult. It was reportedly felt across the country as well as in neighboring China. At least four people have died and dozens more were injured due to the quake, officials said. Taiwan's government said that 711 people had been injured in earthquake and that 77 people were trapped, strong shaking was felt in Taipei, the capital, some 100 miles away, with aftershocks continued for roughly two hours. And there were reports in China that people as far away as Shanghai, about 500 miles to the north, could feel the earthquake while much of Taiwan's population lives on the west coast of the country, Hualien City is one of the largest population centers on the east coast. Its population is roughly 100,000. Landslides also occurred along the mountainous central east coast. Authorities in Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines issued tsunami warnings, which were later lifted, the quake had a depth of 9.6 miles, according to Taiwan's central weather administration. Taiwan's two nuclear power stations were not affected by the temblor. Taiwan's official central news agency said the quake was the biggest to hit the island since 1999 when a 7.6 magnitude tremor killed around 2,400 people and destroyed or damaged 50,000 buildings in one of Taiwan's worst recorded quakes.