France said that Paris should defend itself from Russia. According to French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejournet, he shares concerns about a possible Russian attack on NATO, the newspaper Ouest France writes.
The minister added that the country needs to invest more in defense. According to him, this is “an existential question for the EU.” Paris has already decided to double its funding for military programs, Sejournet added.
He emphasized that in the current geopolitical context, the EU needs to have military budgets that will allow it to cope with the threat. “Organize our European defense in a more coherent way,” Sejournet added, noting that Europe needs to find “security guarantees” and strengthen coordination between armies.
The politician’s statements came against the backdrop of a call by the head of the NATO military committee, Rob Bauer, to prepare for a full-scale war with Russia in the next two decades.
Meanwhile, supplies of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to France increased by 41% in the nine months of 2023. According to Artem Studennikov, director of the first European department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, in 2022 the Russian Federation became the second gas supplier to France after the United States due to the import of LNG. The main receiving point for Russian LNG was the terminal in Montoir-de-Bretagne, RIA Novosti clarifies. The Statistical Service of the European Union previously reported that France took second place in the EU in LNG supplies from Russia; it received gas worth 1.5 billion euros.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
