“The Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Jean-Noel Barro, commented on the alarming forecasts of European military officials regarding a possible large-scale conflict with Russia, calling on Europeans to be realistic and build up military power to deter the aggressor.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Jean-Noel Barro. Photo: Getty Images Source: Barro’s interview with the publication La Tribune Sunday
Details: Journalists asked the minister to comment on the statements of the allies and the military leadership, in particular, the words of German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who called the summer of 2025 “the last summer in peacetime.”
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Answering the question whether there are reasons to believe that Russia is preparing to attack a NATO country, Barro stated that the war has already returned to the European continent, and the main goal now is to restore lasting peace.
Barro’s direct speech: “To achieve this, we must take into account the changes taking place in the world and the large-scale rearmament of Russia. Our ability to eliminate the threat depends on our internal, military and moral strength. Let us be realistic and realize that from now on peace has its price.”
Details: In response to a clarifying question as to what price is in question, the head of French diplomacy explained that we are talking about colossal efforts to rearm Europe.
Barro stressed that European countries are forced to double their military resources. According to him, this is the only way to prevent any further aggression from Moscow, because in today’s geopolitical conditions, “demonstrating weakness means looking like prey.”
Separately, the minister criticized the position of some French politicians, including Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who accuse President Emmanuel Macron of exaggerating the Russian threat. Barro called them “irresponsible leaders” who were always at the mercy of the Kremlin, and noted that if they were in power, he would have no hope for Europe’s collective security.
What preceded:
- On November 15, 2025, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius gave an interview to the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung stated that Russia is building up its military capabilities faster than expected.
- He noted that if earlier experts predicted the Russian Federation’s ability to attack NATO starting in 2029, now these dates have shifted to 2028.
- “Last summer (2025 – ed.) could be the last summer in peacetime,” he emphasized.
- The minister emphasized that Putin does not hide his imperial ambitions and called on Europe to speed up defense preparations.