Russian officials and lawmakers on Thursday criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for suggesting that Russia posed a threat to Europe, warning that such rhetoric could push the West closer to the brink of a new world war.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 sparked the most significant standoff between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Both the Kremlin and the White House have cautioned against actions that could escalate into World War Three.
However, the Russian military’s advances in Ukraine in 2024, coupled with US President Donald Trump’s shift in policy towards Ukraine and his push for a peace deal, have unsettled European nations. Many fear the United States is distancing itself from European security concerns.
In a national address on Wednesday, Macron described Russia as “a threat for France and Europe” and called the Ukraine conflict a “global conflict.” He also proposed opening discussions on extending France’s nuclear deterrent to its European allies.
“Such an erroneous analysis leads to fatal errors,” said Konstantin Kosachev, a senior Russian senator, claiming that Macron misunderstood Russia’s response to NATO’s expansion and aggression. “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 false suggestions lead to the abyss.”
Russia and the United States remain the world’s largest nuclear powers, with over 5,000 warheads each, followed by China, France, and the United Kingdom, according to the Federation of American Scientists.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev dismissed Macron as a non-threat, calling him “Micron” and predicting he would lose power by 2027.
Russian officials argue that Macron’s tough rhetoric, along with that of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders, lacks military backing. They point to Russia’s continued gains in Ukraine and the expansion of its army to 1.5 million servicemen — making it the second-largest military force in the world after China.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s foreign ministry, mocked Macron’s assertion that France had the most effective army in Europe, suggesting he engage in a measurement exercise to prove it.
Former Kremlin adviser Sergei Markov accused Macron of spreading lies and military propaganda against Russia.
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly dismissed Western claims that Russia could attack a NATO member, which would trigger a collective military response under the alliance’s charter. However, Ukraine and its Western allies argue that Putin’s actions are part of an imperial-style land grab. Russia currently occupies nearly 20% of Ukraine, including Crimea and parts of eastern and southern regions.
Putin frames the conflict as a struggle against Western powers, accusing them of humiliating Russia since the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991 by expanding NATO and encroaching on Moscow’s sphere of influence.
Kosachev criticized Macron for abandoning the legacy of former French President Charles de Gaulle, accusing him of scapegoating Russia for France and Europe’s problems.
