Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Macron under fire for saying France wouldn’t respond in kind if Russia launched nuclear attack on Ukraine

Macron under fire for saying France wouldn’t respond in kind if Russia launched nuclear attack on Ukraine

French president says Paris would not trigger a nuclear response if Russia launched such a strike ‘in Ukraine or in the region.’

Emmanuel Macron’s recent comments on the French response in case of a Russian nuclear attack on Ukraine have drawn fire from observers and political opponents at home.

During an interview with French TV channel France 2, the French president said on Wednesday that Paris would “evidently” not use nuclear weapons in response to a Russian nuclear attack on Ukraine.

“France has a nuclear doctrine, that is based on the vital interests of the country and which are clearly defined. These would not be at stake if there was a nuclear ballistic attack in Ukraine or in the region,” the French president said.

The French president has since been criticized for breaking the usage of remaining vague on the topic of nuclear dissuasion, at a time when Russian leader Vladimir Putin has made nuclear threats.

“[Nuclear] dissuasion’s credibility relies on not saying anything about what we would have to do,” former French President François Hollande said on FranceInfo radio, adding one needed to “say as little as possible and be prepared to do as much as possible.”

As the leader of the EU’s only nuclear power, Macron’s comments that he would not respond to a nuclear attack in Ukraine “or in the region” are unlikely to reassure EU member states belonging to NATO such as Poland, Romania or Slovakia. Article 5 of the NATO treaty states that members should come to the defense of other members in case of attack.

Putin raised the specter of a nuclear war in a major escalation last month, threatening to use “all weapon resources” at his disposal to win.

While the U.S. has remained vague on how it would respond to a Russian nuclear attack on Ukraine, it has however made it clear that Russia would face a response of conventional forces on a massive scale.

Bruno Tertrais, deputy director for the think tank Foundation for Strategic Research, questioned Macron’s “curious” decision to spell out the limits of France nuclear doctrine, and the timing of the statement.

“In my opinion, the right answer should have been: I won’t play this game … and anyway Mr. Putin must be aware that he would lose,” he tweeted.

During the interview on Wednesday, the French president said the less dissuasion was discussed “the better,” but he then went on to clarify what would happen in case of an attack against Ukraine. Asked by the France 2 journalist if France would refrain from deploying nuclear bombs in response to a Russian nuclear attack on Ukrainian soil, Macron said “evidently.”

“When I heard him speak, I almost fell of my chair,” said the conservative MP Jean-Louis Thiériot, vice president of the National Assembly’s armed forces committee.

“It’s a political mistake. One of the principles of nuclear dissuasion is that there’s an uncertainty as to what is considered a vital interest,” he said.

Thiériot believes Macron’s message may have been meant for voters at home, who are worried about France’s military support for Ukraine and the possibility of a nuclear war.

The French president did not make any statements on what France’s conventional response might be if Russia used nuclear weapons. On Monday, the G7 countries released a statement that warned that Russia would face “grave consequences” if it did.

The comments risk further undermining France’s push for strategic autonomy and a Europe that defends itself and does not rely solely on the U.S. for protection.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×