Overview

• French President Emmanuel Macron proposed extending France's nuclear deterrent to other European nations, citing concerns over Russia's military actions and the reliability of U.S. security commitments.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized Macron's plan, likening it to Napoleon's failed invasion of Russia and accusing France of imperialist ambitions.
• Macron responded by labeling Putin an imperialist and asserting that Russia poses the only significant imperial threat in Europe today.
• The European Union is increasingly aligning behind the need for greater defense autonomy, with Germany advocating for relaxed spending rules to boost military capabilities.
• Moscow warned against European troop deployments in Ukraine, stating they would be treated as NATO forces and rejecting any compromise on this issue.