France ready to react to another round of escalation by Russia - Macron

This was stated by French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke in an interview for Ukraine’s national telethon, Ukrinform reports.

"If there is another round of escalation on the part of Russia, we will be ready to react for the sake of the security of Ukraine and Europeans, but France will never be the initiator of aggression," Macron said.

He noted that France has never escalated because the nation always bets on peace.

"We believe in negotiations, we have always done so. But in this situation, the aggressor is Russia... It is they who threaten everything. It is the Kremlin regime that initiates escalation," the French leader emphasized, adding that he always draws the line between the Kremlin regime, which "flew off the rails", and the people of Russia.

Macron emphasized that he has never stepped "onto the escalation path." At the same time, he stressed the need for collective responsibility and preparedness for any challenge.

As reported, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin said in a televised interview that Russia is technically ready for nuclear war should it be necessary to proceed on this track. Russia’s nuclear forces are in combat readiness 24/7, he added.