In the opening six months of the Ukraine-Russia war, France's President Emmanuel Macron came under fire in Europe for being one of the few major political leaders to hold regular diplomatic calls with Putin in an effort to solve the conflict and avoid further bloodshed in Eastern Europe.
Now he feels he has to go full hawk in response to US President Trump, as on Wednesday in a nationally televised address he claimed Putin is now threatening all of Europe and has declared, dubiously, that Russian aggression "knows no borders."
"We are entering a new era," he told his fellow countrymen in the address. "If a country can invade its neighbour in Europe and go unpunished, nobody can be sure of anything." That's when he asserted: "Beyond Ukraine, the Russian threat is real - it affects the European countries."
Macron pulled out all the stops, and appears to be making himself into the European version of Russia's Medvedev, going maximal no limits jingoism. "President Putin is violating our borders to assassinate opponents, manipulate elections," he claimed in the remarks.
"We need to prepare," the French president said, amid a broader European push to 'fill the gap' in the wake of President Trump suspending all US arms shipments to Kiev, as well as intelligence-sharing. On Sunday during a London security conference of European leaders, UK PM Kier Starmer presented a plan of up to 30,000 UK peacekeeping troops for Ukraine, supported by France.
"I want to believe that the US will stand by our side, but we have to be ready for that not to be the case," Macron said in reference to shifting Washington policy.
And Macron then claimed, "France has to recognize its special status - we have the most efficient, effective army in Europe," adding that France has nuclear weapons to provide to the broader Western alliance if called upon.
Addressing where funds for a new European defense without US backing might originate, he explained "These are new investments which will allow us to mobilize private financing and public financing without increases in tax" - also as German parties agreed this week to a historic debt overhaul to revamp military and economy.
MACRON🇫🇷: ‘Peace will return to Europe with a pacified Russia🇷🇺.’
— Afshin Rattansi (@afshinrattansi) March 5, 2025
These lunatics in Europe are still trying to impose a strategic defeat on Russia, the country’s with the most nuclear weapons in the world, after 3 years of failure and pushing us to the brink of WW3. pic.twitter.com/U9hpG5XJiZ
Surprisingly, and quite dangerously for the prospect of nuclear-armed WW3 Macron pivoted to explaining that he's considering expanding the French nuclear umbrella to all of Europe:
He cites the words of Germany's all-but-confirmed next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said last month he wanted to discuss with France and the UK the possibility of extending their nuclear umbrella to cover his country.
The UK and France are the only two nuclear powers in Europe. "We need reforms, we need to make choices, and we need to be brave," Macron says.
"[Merz] has called for a strategic debate on providing that same protection to our European allies... whatever happens the decision will be in the hands of the president of the Republic and the heads of the army."
Macron also says he will hold a meeting of European army chiefs in Paris next week.
Even Britain's Sky News' live coverage of the speech was taken aback at Macron's fresh nuclear threat...
Ironically in much of the West at this moment, political leaders and media are raging over Trump's "dangerous" efforts to find peace in Ukraine and his cutting off further shipments of US weapons to the conflict.
Macron, for many Liberals, is currently the hero of Ukraine, and yet he's now literally teasing nuclear escalation while claiming some kind of 'Munich moment' nonsense, as if Putin is about to imminently send his army to march down the Champs-Élysées.
