France has issued a stern warning to Russia by reminding President Vladimir Putin that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has nuclear weapons.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned Moscow as Russian forces continue their invasion of Ukraine.
He was responding after Putin appeared to threaten NATO allies with a nuclear attack should they interfere in Russia’s aggression.
Le Drian urged Putin to think very carefully while making threats to deploy his arsenal.
The top official was speaking with French television network TF1Info regarding Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
He was asked if Putin’s remarks were “tantamount to threatening Russian use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict,” Reuters reported.
“Yes, I think that Vladimir Putin must also understand that the Atlantic alliance is a nuclear alliance,” he answered during the Thursday TV appearance.
“That is all I will say about this,” he added.
🔴 #Ukraine
🗣️ "Vladimir #Poutine doit aussi comprendre que l'Alliance atlantique est une alliance nucléaire […] Les sanctions qui vont être proposées sont massives, elles visent à asphyxier le fonctionnement économique de la Russie"
📺 @JY_LeDrian dans #LE20H de @TF1 ⤵ pic.twitter.com/NTCFqN4OVk
— TF1Info (@TF1Info) February 24, 2022
Hours earlier, Putin spoke from the Kremlin in Moscow where he said Russia would respond with force should other nations try and interfere with its military operations in Ukraine.
“Whoever tries to hinder us, and even more so, to create threats to our country, to our people, should know that Russia’s response will be immediate,” the Russian president said.
“And it will lead you to such consequences that you have never encountered in your history.”
