On August 19, the President of France called the Russian Federation “destabilizing power and potential threat to many”, as well as a country that “in a moment” will not become democratic. “For the sake of her own survival, she needs to continue to eat, this is a predator, a cannibal at our gate,” Macron said. The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov replied to this that Macron was “inconvenient” that he called the Russian Federation a “predator” and “cannibal”. “I hope that he himself is uncomfortable at night,” said the Russian Foreign Minister.
According to the French leader, his statements were not “rude or vulgar.” He noted that “if you say that there is a cannibal in front of the gates of Europe,” then he is sure that “it describes this well that Georgians, Ukrainians and many other peoples feel so deeply.”
The President of France noted Putin’s difference between his position on international summits and the “reality on the spot”, which “demonstrates how insincere it is.”
Macron assured that Paris and Berlin will continue to promote additional sanctions against Russia because of its war against Ukraine.
Context
In the last years, the political and military leadership of European countries several times declared the threat of a Russian attack. German defense minister Boris Pistorius said that Russia could attack NATO in 2029. The ex-Chancellor of Germany Olaf Sholts also declared a threat from the Russian Federation. According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Norway, Eirik Christoffersen, NATO has two or three years to prepare for a probable war with Russia.
Bild, citing a secret document, informed that NATO was preparing for the likely attack of Russia on the eastern flank. In the document “only for the official use of” the Ministry of Defense of Germany, it describes in detail the likely “path to the conflict” between the Russian Federation and NATO, the culmination of which will be the placement of hundreds of thousands of alliance soldiers and the inevitable beginning of the war in the summer of 2025.
On February 16, 2025, the Financial Times reported with reference to an anonymous Ukrainian official that Putin preparing for war against the Baltic countries.
On May 28, Reuters wrote that NATO wants to ask Germany for an additional 40 thousand military (seven brigades) for the defense of the alliance. Also in September in Germany, large -scale military exercises are planned, the main thing Attention will focus on how quickly Hamburg can move 800 thousand military to the Baltic and Poland countries.
On June 2, British Prime Minister Cyrus Starmer announced the introduction of a large-scale defense reform of the Kingdom of Armed Forces, which provides, in particular, the expansion of the country's nuclear potential and readiness for war.
On July 15, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that, according to NATO, Russia could attack Europe in 2027, and his country may be under the blow.
