Bangladesh, April 13 -- France has halted talks with Russia over differing accounts on a phone call pertaining mainly to the Moscow terror attack. Paris is also denying having discussed the issue of Ukraine. What is going on?

After a rare telephone conversation last week between French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Sergei Shoigu, his Russian counterpart, which at first seemed like a diplomatic sign of good will for some dialogue, Frances foreign minister said on Monday that Paris was no longer interested in talking to Moscow. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron said the Russian remarks during the aforementioned phone call had been “bizarre and threatening”. Supposedly Russia told France it hoped French Secret...