Moscow: Russia on Thursday criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for an address this week in which he mulled extending France鈥檚 nuclear umbrella to European partners.
In a speech to the French nation on Wednesday, Macron called Russia a 鈥渢hreat to France and Europe鈥� and said the French were 鈥渓egitimately worried鈥� about the United States shifting its position on the Ukraine conflict under US President Donald Trump.
鈥淓very day, he makes some absolutely... contradictory statements鈥� which are 鈥渄etached from reality,鈥� Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said of Macron.
Zakharova compared him to Ole Lukoje, a mythical creature in a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale who holds umbrellas over sleeping children.
鈥淚 listened to all this, looked at him and realized who he reminds me of 鈥� the nuclear Ole Lukoje,鈥� she said.
Macron said he would launch a debate on extending France鈥檚 nuclear deterrent to other European nations, following a phone conversation with Friedrich Merz, likely to be Germany鈥檚 next chancellor, on extending that umbrella of protection.