What if the French cabinet decided during the Austro-Serb crisis that preventing it from escalating to great power coalition warfare was reeaaallly important and even worth the cost of disappointing their Russian ally?
This does not require France to abandon concern for the European balance of power or to countenance unprovoked attacks on Russia. However, it does require France to be ready to strongly state its unwillingness/inability to take on a general war, at least at this time and under these circumstances.
France can continue to offer financial support to Russia and to take a variety of measures to strengthen alliance capabilities, it can remain pledged to fight by Russia’s side if it were invaded or even if it’s great power position were threatened, it just also has to express its view that the Austro-Serb dispute is not one central to Entente security or European balance of power.
What will happen from there? (poll attached)