Putin vows not to attack Europe on day France announces conscription amid threat from Russia
Vladimir Putin has promised not to go after Europe on the day France responds to Russia's potential WW3 threat.
Emmanuel Macron has announced a new national military service plan over concerns of what the Kremlin could do. The French president revealed that the new 10-month military service programme will be available to men and women aged 18 and 19.
During this period, they will be paid a minimum of £700 a month, given free accommodation, along with a 75 per cent discount on rail travel.
The French leader said that in the event of war, they would fight 'only on national soil'.
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“A new national service is set to be gradually established, starting from next summer,” Macron said in a speech at the Varces military base on Thursday (27 November).
“In this uncertain world where power prevails over law and war is an ever-present reality, our nation has no right to fear, panic, unpreparedness, or division.”
“We cannot return to the time of conscription,” Macron added (via Sky News). “This hybrid army model corresponds to the threats and risks ahead, bringing together national service youth, reservists, and the active army.”
There has been an ongoing feeling that the conflict in Ukraine has almost become a war between Russia and Western countries that support Ukraine.
NATO have been consistently warned of the possibility of an outright war with Russia being brought to European shores, though the Kremlin have instead suggested other countries are 'at war' with them.
Addressing what's going on in France, however, Putin said that a conflict with Europe is 'outright lies and nonsense’.
He continued: "‘We can write it down. Maybe that makes sense, meaning, if we want to talk about it together, and discuss, and puts the dots together in the issues of European security."
He added that Donald Trump's proposed peace plan between Russia and Ukraine 'can be the basis for future agreements'.
“We see that the American side takes our position into account in some areas,” Putin said. “But in other points, we clearly need to sit down and talk.”
On what it would take to stop the war from their side, he explained: “If Ukrainian troops leave the territories they occupy, then we will stop fighting. If they don’t, we will achieve our aims militarily.”
Tatiana Stanovaya, an independent Russian political analyst, said on X that she doesn't see circumstances changing anytime soon.
“I see nothing at the moment that would force Putin to recalculate his goals or abandon his core demands,” she penned.
“Putin feels more confident than ever about the battlefield situation and is convinced that he can wait until Kyiv finally accepts that it cannot win and must negotiate on Russia’s well-known terms.”
US officials say the total number of Ukrainian and Russian troops killed or wounded since the war in Ukraine began 18 months ago is nearing 500,000.
An assessment from the US has also claimed that Moscow is 'stockpiling missiles', with The New York Times reporting that this is backed up by Ukrainian military data and analyst's calculations.
Topics: Vladimir Putin, Europe, Ukraine, UK News, Politics
Anish Vij