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Macron Warns of Rising Russian Threat at Confidential Élysée Meeting
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French President Emmanuel Macron has warned Moscow that hostile shadow operations against European nations will face consequences, stating that continuing such actions would be a grave miscalculation.
Speaking at the Élysée Palace following a confidential meeting with political party leaders, according to French media outlet Brut on September 18, Macron emphasized that the fundamental nature of strategic deterrence relies on maintaining operational ambiguity regarding retaliatory actions.
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While declining to reveal specific countermeasures, he made clear that covert attacks would not go unanswered.
To illustrate the growing security risks stemming from Russia, the French leader pointed directly to a recent plot targeting Germany’s Leipzig Airport.
Emmanuel Macron announced that he had asked the government to "prepare a plan to protect our critical infrastructure as well as the most sensitive sites of our defense industrial and technological base" against threats, according to 20 Minutes.
He noted that the operation failed only because the mechanism setup by the GRU experienced a technical failure. Macron highlighted that the intended outcome carried severe risks, including potential loss of human life and extensive physical destruction.
Addressing the threat landscape, Macron stated that the primary objective of these subversion tactics is to spread fear and erode western support for Kyiv.
Macron added that observers expecting rapid diplomatic compromises from Moscow should re-evaluate their assumptions in light of an unconstrained neighbor.
He urged European authorities to recognize that similar covert operations could target major cities, national capitals, and critical industry sectors, calling for heightened vigilance and preventative defense measures across the continent.
Emmanuel Macron also addressed other domestic and international issues during the meeting, including internal political stability and the growing impact of the Middle East crisis on energy prices, acknowledging rising public concern over historic fuel costs at the pump.
In June, 2026, the US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War reported that Russian officials were laying the groundwork to exit international arms control agreements as part of preparations for a potential military confrontation with NATO.
Following years of attempts to restore relations with the Kremlin, European countries pledged to increase their defense spending, while the EU unveiled its ReArm Europe initiative to counter Russia's expanding war machine.
To evaluate Europe's readiness, defense experts examined key metrics including military budgets, weapon production rates, and troop sizes, ultimately noting that European defense preparation was operating on a much slower timeline than the immediate threat posed by Moscow.
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