IAEA chief says Macron's remarks on nuclear use an 'erosion of norms'
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Macron said Wednesday that it was necessary to open a discussion on the use of France's nuclear weapons to defend the entire European Union.
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International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi during a meeting with the Japanese government in Tokyo on Thursday, March 14, 2024 (AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks regarding the use of nuclear weapons against Russia are "an erosion of norms," said Rafael Grossi, the General Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on Friday.
EU leaders were set to discuss nuclear deterrence, among other issues, as well as assistance for Ukraine and European defense, during their Thursday meeting in Brussels.
Macron, in a televised speech ahead of the meeting, labeled Russia as a "threat to France and Europe" and stated that he had chosen "to open the strategic debate on the protection of our allies on the European continent by our [nuclear] deterrent."
"A few years ago this discussion about nuclear weapons would have been taboo," Grossi told Bloomberg, adding that now such discussions are taking place in some countries and "it’s a constant erosion of norms."
Russia's response
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov perceived Macron’s statements as a direct threat to Russia.
"If he considers us a threat, convenes a meeting of the chiefs of general staff of European countries and Britain, says it is necessary to use nuclear weapons, prepares to use nuclear weapons against Russia, this is, of course, a threat," Lavrov was quoted by state news agency RIA as saying.
In the same vein, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reinforced this concern, interpreting Macron’s rhetoric as an indication that France seeks to prolong the conflict.
He noted that France’s willingness to consider nuclear deployment for security purposes signals "a very confrontational" stance.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized Macron for making contradictory statements, dismissing him as a "storyteller" whose remarks are "completely out of touch with reality."
