Russia Chides Macron for Pushing Europe Towards the Abyss of World War III

Russian officials and lawmakers on March 6 poured scorn on French President Emmanuel Macron for saying that Russia threatened Europe, and cautioned that such talk could lead the West towards the abyss of a new world war.

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MOSCOW –

Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggered the biggest confrontation between the West and Russia since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and both the Kremlin and the White House have cautioned against missteps that could trigger World War III.

The advance of Russian forces in Ukraine in 2022 and US President Donald Trump's upending of US policy towards Ukraine and Russia, and demand for a peace deal to end the war, have led to fears among European leaders that Washington is turning its back on Europe.

Mr Macron said in an address to the nation on March 5 that Russia was "a threat for France and Europe", that the Ukraine war was already a "global conflict", and that he would open a debate about extending the French nuclear umbrella to allies in Europe.

"Such an erroneous analysis leads to fatal errors," said Mr Konstantin Kosachev, a senior Russian senator, who said Mr Macron had mistaken Russia's reaction to the enlargement and aggression of the US-led military alliance towards Russia.