France has called on Moscow to "reverse" its decision to take control of assets belonging to European companies still operating in Russia, including Swiss food giant Nestle and three French groups. The Kremlin defends the takeover as a justified measure against firms representing "unfriendly countries" that back Ukraine.
A decree signed by President Vladimir Putin late Thursday transferred the Russian operations of Nestle, French retailer Auchan and the former Leroy Merlin DIY chain, now known as Lemana Pro, to a company called LEV Management.
