On Russia’s ‘World War’ threat, French president Macron said…

‘We do not want a World War’ – France president Emmanuel Macron’s response Thursday to a Russian threat over Ukraine’s NATO membership bid. “We are helping Ukraine to resist on its soil, never to attack Russia.

Vladimir Putin must stop this war and respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” Macron – who has supplied Kyiv with military and financial aid – tweeted.

Macron also told French broadcaster France 2 he would not sanction nuclear strikes even if Moscow were to unleash such weapons in Ukraine. “Our doctrine wouldn’t be affected if… there was a ballistic nuclear attack in Ukraine,” he said.

The French president’s comment came hours after Iranian-made drones struck the Ukraine capital region and dozens of cities across the war-torn country. The strikes were followed by NATO allies pledging to help Ukraine’s air defences.

“…howitzers to conduct counter-offensive(s)… radars, systems and missiles to protect from air attacks… armoured vehicles and training… continue to support Ukrainian resistance and boost our military assistance,” Macron said.

That prompted Alexander Venediktov, deputy secretary of Russia’s security council, to tell state-run TASS news agency Kyiv’s bid to fast-track its NATO membership constitutes a ‘guaranteed escalation to World War III’.

Venediktov also underlined Moscow’s warning to the West – that by helping Ukraine they are a ‘direct party to the conflict’ and said NATO members privately understood the ‘suicidal nature’ of admitting Kyiv to the group.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month bid to speed up the process; this was after Russian leader Vladimir Putin ‘annexed’ four regions.

NATO is not expected to allow Ukraine to join quickly, not least because its membership during an ongoing war would put it into conflict with Russia.

Meanwhile, the military bloc’s Nuclear Planning Group met Thursday to discuss plans for an exercise. This was after Putin said he would defend Russia ‘with all means at (his) disposal’ – a threat linked with Moscow deploying nukes.

Moscow has repeatedly justified the invasion – which began February 24 and has killed tens of thousands of people – as a ‘special operation’ triggered because Ukraine’s ambitions to join NATO poses a ‘threat’ to Russia’s security.