BREAKING: Three Molotov cocktails thrown at Russian consulate in France

Three Molotov cocktails were thrown a short time ago today (Monday) at the Russian consulate in the southern French city of Marseille, according to France 24.

The cocktails were thrown at the perimeter of the consulate, and it is not clear if they made it over the consulate wall. France 24 said that French media outlet BFM TV said the projectiles were Molotov cocktails and that they landed in the consulate's garden. 

A French Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that "France condemns any infringement of the security of diplomatic compounds. The inviolability, protection and integrity of diplomatic and consular compounds and their staff are fundamental principles in international law."

Russian press agency TASS quoted Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson as saying that "The explosions on the territory of the Russian Consulate General in Marseille have all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack. We demand that the host country undertake exhaustive and speedy investigative measures, as well as steps to strengthen the security of Russia's foreign missions."

The incident took place on the third anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which included an offensive drive on the country's capital of Kyiv.

Following the failure of that attack, Ukraine and Russia have been locked in a bloody war of attrition in the area of southeast Ukraine, with hundreds of thousands of dead and wounded on both sides and no end in sight.

President Donald Trump has proposed to try and broker a peace between the two countries, an initiative many in Europe condemn as surrendering to Russia and rewarding it as an aggressor.

In exchange for continued American support for Ukraine, Trump and his administration are demanding that Ukraine hand over mineral and other rights to the United States as a surety of returning the massive amounts of aid the US has provided to the country in exchange for preventing Russia from winning the war.