Russia poses a direct threat to France and all of the EU, President Emmanuel Macron has said, urging the bloc to ramp up defense spending.
Speaking in a televised address on Wednesday, Macron accused Russia of turning the Ukraine conflict into a global conflict. “If a country can invade its neighbor in Europe with impunity, then no one can be sure of anything anymore… Beyond Ukraine, the Russian threat extends to all of Europe, including us.”
The French president also sounded the alarm over what he called Russia’s military expansion, claiming that Moscow is now spending over 40% of its budget on its military, with ambitious plans to grow the army by 2030. “Given this, who can truly believe that today’s Russia will stop at Ukraine?” he said.