Le Rus, Criticizing French Macron's 'Nuclear Umbrella Theory'... Putin Asks, "Have You Forgotten Napoleon's End?"

Russia strongly opposed French President Emmanuel Macron's statement about expanding France's nuclear deterrence to protect the European continent against the threat from Russia.

According to TASS news agency and others on the 6th (local time), Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the day, "There are still people who want to go back to the era of Napoleon. They have forgotten how his end was."

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia. Photo by AP Yonhap News

President Putin made these remarks while meeting with beneficiaries of the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation and women who lost family members in the 'special military operation' on International Women's Day. He also emphasized that Russia's enemies made the mistake of underestimating Russia.

Although he did not directly mention President Macron, he criticized the previous day's national address by referring to the history of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who lost many troops and was defeated during the 1812 invasion of Russia. In his speech the day before, President Macron announced, "We have decided to start strategic dialogue on nuclear deterrence to protect our European allies."

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, said at a briefing that Macron's speech was "extremely confrontational" and "hard to see as a speech from a leader who thinks about peace." He added, "From Macron's speech, one can get the impression that France really wants to continue the war."

Regarding President Macron's view of Russia as a potential threat to Europe, Peskov pointed out that it was "a statement containing many diplomatic inaccuracies." He noted that Macron omitted mentioning that Russia has legitimate concerns as NATO advances eastward toward Russian borders.

On Macron's remark that Europe would send peacekeepers to Ukraine if a ceasefire is reached between Russia and Ukraine, Peskov said, "Would Russia agree to that? Since the answer is clear, I will not respond directly."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated at a press conference that Macron's speech was "certainly a threat to Russia if he sees us as a threat, says nuclear weapons should be used, and claims readiness to use nuclear weapons against Russia."

Lavrov also said that unlike Napoleon and Hitler, who wanted to fight Russia in the past, Macron does not behave gracefully. Unlike Napoleon and Hitler, who explicitly said "Russia must be conquered," Macron wants the same but says, "We must fight so that Russia does not defeat France. Russia poses a threat to France and Europe," he added.

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, also criticized Macron in an interview with TASS, saying, "He makes statements every day that are detached from reality and completely contradictory," calling him "a storyteller."

The Russian Foreign Ministry, in a statement, criticized, "The French president is trying to convince his people that Russia is a hypothetical 'existential threat,' but conversely, his remarks are essentially a threat to Russia."

It went on to say that Macron's speech contained 'nuclear threats' and openly revealed France's ambition to become Europe's nuclear patron, warning, "Russia will consider what the French president mentioned when making military plans." It pointed out that France is trying to replace the U.S. nuclear umbrella in Europe but its nuclear power potential is much weaker than that of the U.S.

Regarding Macron's plan to deploy Western troops to Ukraine under the guise of peacekeepers, the ministry emphasized, "We have repeatedly stated that this is unacceptable."

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, referred to President Macron as 'Micron' on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), saying, "Micron himself is not a big threat. He will disappear forever before May 14, 2027 (the end of Macron's term) and will not be missed."

Meanwhile, President Putin said at the event, "We must choose a peace option that suits us and guarantees the tranquility of our country from a long-term historical perspective." He also stated that conscripts would not be sent to combat zones.