The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has criticized French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks regarding the potential use of nuclear weapons to defend Europe, calling them a “disruption of standards.”
Speaking to Bloomberg, Grossi noted that discussing nuclear weapons was once considered taboo, but such discussions are now taking place in certain countries, leading to the steady erosion of established norms.
Macron recently stated that Russia poses a threat to France and Europe, pledging to increase military spending while suggesting a debate on the potential use of France’s nuclear arsenal to protect the entire European Union. The Kremlin swiftly denounced these remarks as “highly controversial.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov argued that Macron’s statements ignored NATO’s military expansion toward Russia’s borders and failed to address Moscow’s legitimate security concerns.
Russia has consistently warned that NATO’s expansion fosters confrontation rather than security in Europe. While insisting that it poses no threat to any NATO member state, the Kremlin has emphasized that it will not overlook actions that endanger its interests. Nevertheless, Moscow remains open to dialogue, urging the West to abandon its militarization of the continent.
