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A heated exchange of insults has erupted between French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with each leader accusing the other of historical revisionism and imperial ambitions.
In response to Moscow’s accusations that likened him to both Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler, Macron delivered a sharp rebuke Friday morning. Dismissing the Kremlin’s claims of European conquest ambitions, he identified Russia as the sole “Imperial power” currently operating in Europe.
The verbal sparring intensified following Russian officials’ assertions that France and other European nations had entered the 2014 Minsk accords with premeditated intentions to violate them. These claims stem from recent revelations by a former French President suggesting such duplicity.
Putin warns Macron: "There are still people who want to go back to the times of Napoleon, forgetting how it ended." pic.twitter.com/0gT69LMxKI
— JOSH DUNLAP (@JDunlap1974) March 7, 2025
Addressing these allegations, Macron characterized Putin as a “revisionist imperialist of history, identities, peoples,” adding that Putin’s accusations emerge “because he knows that I told the truth and I know that he can betray the agreements he signs.”
The reference to Napoleon by Russian officials sparked particular controversy, highlighting the contrasting historical perspectives between the two nations. While France celebrates Napoleon as a national hero, Russia views him as a defeated invader. Macron challenged Putin’s historical interpretation, noting that “Napoleon led conquests.”
“Macron has decided to follow Zelensky’s path and is aggressively lying about Putin constantly violating agreements, including the claim that Russia disrupted the Minsk agreements,” said Lavrov pic.twitter.com/TvfkEwS8b6
— Zlatti71 (@Zlatti_71) March 6, 2025
The exchange of accusations extended beyond the presidents, with French Prime Minister François Bayrou responding to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s Hitler comparison. Bayrou drew parallels between Russia’s current actions and aggressive territorial expansionism of the 1930s and 1940s, pointing to Russia’s attempts to “take control of it, to chase out its leaders.”
France’s prominent role in supporting Ukraine’s war effort, alongside Britain, has made it a particular target of Russian criticism. This comes as Washington and Moscow appear to be moving toward peace negotiations. Meanwhile, Paris is developing a European peace initiative, potentially including European peacekeepers in post-ceasefire Ukraine, which they plan to present to President Donald Trump for consideration.
