Russia on Wednesday criticized comments by French President Emmanuel Macron, who this week refused to rule out supplying Ukraine with fighter jets, while warning against the risk of escalation.
“Forgive me, this is absurd,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters at a news conference.
“Is the French president really sure that if the Kiev regime is given arms, heavy weapons and aircraft for combat operations, this will not lead to an escalation?” she said.
“I don’t believe an adult can be led by that logic.
“Such statements only add to the already irrepressible appetite of the Zelensky regime,” she said, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Macron said on Monday he was not ruling out the delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine, telling Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the Netherlands that “nothing is ruled out in principle”.
But he also said any weapons “would not be escalated” and should only “help the resistance effort” and not be aimed at Russia itself.
Ukraine is expected to receive as many as 140 modern tanks from its Western allies, and Zelensky is now pressing the West to send fighter jets and long-range missiles.
