UPDATE - Top Russian diplomat says Moscow sees Macron’s nuclear rhetoric as a 'threat'

UPDATES WITH FURTHER REMARKS BY RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER; ADDS BACKGROUND, REMARKS BY KREMLIN SPOKESMAN

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday that Moscow sees French President Emmanuel Macron’s nuclear rhetoric as a threat.

“If he considers us a threat, calls a meeting of the chiefs of general staff of European countries and Britain, says that it is necessary to prepare for the use of nuclear weapons against Russia, this is, of course, a threat,” Lavrov told a joint news conference in Moscow with his Zimbabwean counterpart Amon Murwira.

Calling Macron’s remarks about Russia threatening Europe and France “stupid,” Lavrov said Macron has yet to call his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin despite saying that he would.

"Mr. Macron periodically declares so proudly that he will call Putin, talk to him. He has such opportunities — no one, as they say, forbids him," he said.

The foreign minister argued that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which completed its third year last month, can be stopped quickly if Western military aid supplies to Kyiv are halted.

Lavrov added that the presence of an EU military contingent in Ukraine would be akin to a direct war between Russia and European countries.

Moscow sees no room for compromise on the issue of deploying European military contingents in Ukraine, he said, also saying that such a scenario would be seen in the same way for Russia as the presence of NATO in Ukraine.

“This will mean not the allegedly hybrid, but direct, official, undisguised involvement of NATO countries in the war against the Russian Federation. This cannot be allowed,” he added.

On Wednesday, Macron said in a televised evening address to the nation that Russia has become "a threat to France and to Europe," further declaring that a "strategic debate" has started on nuclear deterrence to protect European allies.

- 'Extremely confrontational'

Simultaneously, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described Macron's address as "extremely confrontational" and that it can "hardly be perceived as a speech by a head of state who thinks about peace."

"Rather, from what has been said, one can conclude that France is thinking more about war, about continuing the war," Peskov told reporters during a press briefing in Moscow.

Arguing that Macron's remarks on a threat to Europe and France from Russia diplomatically contained "many inaccuracies," Peskov said that his speech did not touch on "how NATO's military structure (not just) constantly crept up, but even strode in leaps and bounds towards Russia's borders."

"Mr. President (Macron) said nothing about this and did not mention Russia's legitimate concerns and fears in this regard and the need for Russia to take retaliatory measures," Peskov further said.

On the possible deployment of European peacekeepers in Ukraine, Peskov defined Moscow's position on the issue after a ceasefire is reached as "absolutely obvious."

He said the Kremlin agrees with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's remarks that the Ukraine conflict is a proxy war between Moscow and Washington which needs to end, adding that this viewpoint is in line with Putin's assessment.