French general’s Putin claim debunked

Defense chief Thierry Burkhard said the Russian leader had named his nation as Moscow’s primary adversary in Europe

France’s top military officer falsely claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin labeled the country as Moscow’s main adversary in Europe, French media have reported.

General Thierry Burkhard, France’s chief of the defense staff, claimed on Friday that Russia considers France its “main adversary” on the continent, citing Paris’ military support for Ukraine. “It was Putin who said this,” Burkhard declared to reporters.

Jean-Dominique Merchet of L’Opinion newspaper was among the first to challenge the claim. He said on social media that he had contacted the General Staff and was told Burkhard’s remarks were a “turn of phrase” and were not based on an actual statement by the Russian leader.

Instead, the military referred to a Russian public opinion poll conducted by state pollster VTsIOM in April, which found that 45% of respondents viewed France as having tense or hostile relations with Russia – up sharply from previous years.

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A separate survey by Russia’s independent Levada Center in May showed Germany topping the list of countries perceived as hostile, with France not featuring among the top five. Only 32% of respondents named France as hostile in that poll.

Broadcaster TF1 also reported on Monday that it could find no record of Putin ever making such a statement.

Western officials and media have often been criticized for misquoting or oversimplifying Putin’s statements, such as his 2005 remark describing the collapse of the Soviet Union as “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe” of the 20th century – frequently interpreted as a desire to restore the USSR.

Putin was describing the “drama of the Russian people” as many Russians found themselves living on foreign soil as ethnic minorities. In a 2010 interview, Putin clarified further: “Anyone who wants to rebuild [the USSR] has no head.”

France has advocated for stronger EU defense capabilities in recent years, while Moscow has accused the bloc of exaggerating a Russian threat to justify increased military spending.