Russia has criticized France’s President Macron for claiming Russia poses a threat to Europe, warning it could escalate tensions into a global conflict
Russia has strongly rebuked the President of France – Emmanuel Macron for his assertion that Russia poses a threat to Europe, warning that such rhetoric could push the West closer to the precipice of a global conflict.
The ongoing war in Ukraine has already triggered the most significant confrontation between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Both the Kremlin and the White House have repeatedly cautioned against actions that could escalate tensions into World War III. Ukraine and the West say Putin is engaged in an imperial-style land grab in Ukraine, which currently controls just under 20% of Ukraine, including Crimea, and a chunk of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Macron’s comments come amid growing uncertainty over United States (U.S.) policy following the President of the U.S. – Donald Trump’s call with the President of Russia – Vladimir Putin and his decision to halt all aid to Ukraine. The European leaders are increasingly concerned that Washington may be distancing itself from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) commitments and European security.
In a national address on Wednesday, i.e., 5th March’25, Macron described Russia as “a threat to France and Europe,” characterized the Ukraine conflict as a “global war,” and proposed opening discussions on extending France’s nuclear deterrence to European allies. His remarks sparked an immediate and scathing response from Russian officials.
Senior Russian Senator – Konstantin Kosachev, dismissed Macron’s assessment as flawed, arguing that the French leader was misinterpreting Russia’s reaction to what Moscow perceives as NATO’s expansionist policies.
Speaking on the occasion, he said, “Such an erroneous analysis leads to fatal errors. Macron maniacally imposes on his citizens, allies, and the entire world a completely false concept of what is happening—‘the Russians are coming!’ Such false conclusions and suggestions lead to the abyss.”
Former President of Russia – Dmitry Medvedev, now a staunch advocate of hardline policies, ridiculed Macron, dubbing him “Micron” and predicting he would lose power by 2027. The Kremlin maintains that Macron’s tough stance, echoed by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (U.K.) – Keir Starmer and other European leaders, is not supported by real military capability.
Russian officials point to their country’s battlefield successes in Ukraine as evidence of their strategic advantage. Last year, Putin ordered the expansion of Russia’s active military personnel by 180,000 troops, taking the total to 1.5 million, making it the world’s second-largest standing army after China. Russia and the U.S. are by far the world’s biggest nuclear powers, with over 5,000 nuclear warheads each, followed by China with about 500, France with 290 and the U.K. with 225.
