On Monday, Mr. Macron gave the green light for European countries to send troops to Ukraine, but he also affirmed that there is currently no consensus among countries on this decision.
His comments prompted Western countries, including the US and UK, to say they had no plans to send troops. The Kremlin has also warned that a conflict between Russia and the US-led NATO military alliance would become inevitable if European NATO members sent troops to Ukraine.
Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament and a close ally of Mr Putin, commented that Mr Macron appeared to see himself as Napoleon and warned him against following in the footsteps of the French emperor.
“In his desire to hold on to power, Mr. Macron cannot think of any other option than igniting World War III. His proposals are becoming increasingly dangerous for the French people.”
“Before making these statements, Mr. Macron should remember the end of Napoleon and his army, more than 600,000 soldiers were left in the wet ground.”
Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812 progressed rapidly and captured Moscow in the early stages. However, Russian tactics forced Napoleon's main army to retreat and hundreds of thousands of French soldiers died from disease, hunger and cold.
The war in Ukraine has sparked the worst crisis in relations between Russia and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Mr Putin has warned of the risks of a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.
In addition, Mr. Macron's speech was welcomed by some of Russia's neighboring countries, especially Eastern European countries.
However, former President Dmitry Medvedev, now Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, said Mr Macron was dangerously delusional and asserted that his statement was a clear example of the ideological mistakes of Western countries.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Macron's remarks showed that Western countries, unlike Macron, understood the risks of direct clashes between NATO and Russian troops.
“European leaders were quick to say they had no plans to send troops, which shows they are well aware of the risks involved.”
Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)
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