Europe underestimated Russia, which, along with terrorism, represents "the biggest structural threat to Europeans". This was stated by French President Emmanuel Macron in an interview with the German newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" (FACE), published on Wednesday, October 1.
"We underestimated Russia for a long time. Russia is economically much weaker than Europe, its population is declining, and its industry is not innovative. But it produces much more weapons - and faster. We underestimated the threat," says the French president. "Apart from terrorism, Russia is the other biggest structural threat to Europeans. It threatens our collective security through interference in our elections, cyberattacks, assassinations of opposition figures and migration flows, which are used as a means of pressure," Macron said in the interview.
"Russian bots are manipulating democracy in Europe"
The French president also pointed out that it is underestimated how much the Russians influence our public opinion by spreading falsehoods, going as far as stories about bedbug infestations in France.
"Our open societies are vulnerable to information wars. We are naive if we do not realize that Russia's secret army is spreading in our democracies. It is made up of these small, faceless soldiers called digital bots. They are manipulating democracy in France, Germany and Europe."
Should Russian drones and planes be shot down?
When asked if he supports shooting down a Russian fighter jet if it enters European airspace without permission, the French president replied: "In accordance with the doctrine of strategic ambivalence, I can tell you that nothing is ruled out. Russia invaded Ukraine without warning.
Ukraine resisted. But as early as the spring of 2022, our American partners said they would not send troops. We have constantly told Moscow what we will not do. This is a sign of weakness. We must keep Putin in a state of uncertainty. And we must reduce our dependence - especially on the Americans."
Macron on sanctions against Russia
The French head of state emphasized to the FAC that sanctions against Russia "are working better than they say". However, to make them work even better, the West must focus on Russia's "shadow fleet", consisting of about 800 active ships that circumvent sanctions, Macron emphasized. "We must all join forces to control these ships, block them and raise the price for the Russian economy. We must also accelerate the provision of short-term assistance to the Ukrainian army," he said.