The remarks were a considerable shift for France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, who called Moscow a potential threat for many European countries.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed skepticism in a Monday interview that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be willing to make peace as President Trump’s pushes to end the war in Ukraine that has lasted more than three years.

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "a predator" and "an ogre at our gates," stressing that Russia poses a serious and ongoing threat to Europe. The remarks came during an interview with French news channel LCI on August 19,

A diplomatic row between Israel and Paris has broken out after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused French President Emmanuel Macron of fuelling “the anti-Semitic fire” in France by planning to recognise Palestinian statehood.

"It rewards Hamas terror, hardens Hamas’s refusal to free the hostages, emboldens those who menace French Jews, and encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets. " Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned French President Emmanuel Macron that his recent statements about recognizing a Palestinian state have fueled antisemitism in France and emboldened Hamas in a strongly worded letter.