Moscow, March 6 — The Kremlin on Thursday denounced French President Emmanuel Macron’s speech as highly confrontational after he labeled Russia a threat to France and Europe.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Macron’s remarks indicated Paris was inclined to prolong the war in Ukraine. “It could hardly be perceived as a speech by a leader thinking about peace,” Peskov stated, accusing Macron of omitting Russia’s legitimate security concerns.
Under Macron’s leadership, France has supplied Ukraine with weapons and expressed willingness to consider deploying troops for a future peace enforcement mission—an idea Russia has strongly opposed, warning that NATO troop presence would be unacceptable.
In a national address on Wednesday, Macron described the Ukraine war as a “global conflict” and proposed discussions on extending France’s nuclear deterrent to European allies. Russia and the U.S. remain the world’s largest nuclear powers, followed by China, France, and the U.K., according to the Federation of American Scientists.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev mocked Macron, calling him “Micron” and dismissing his remarks as insignificant. Meanwhile, Russian officials argued that despite aggressive rhetoric from European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, there was little real military action to back their words.
While Ukraine and its Western allies accuse President Vladimir Putin of waging an imperial-style war, vowing to defeat Russia, Moscow maintains it is resisting NATO’s expansion into its sphere of influence, framing the conflict as a struggle against Western dominance. Russia currently controls nearly 20% of Ukraine, including Crimea and key eastern and southern regions.
