French President Emmanuel Macron (left) France's Chief of the Defence Staff Thierry Burkhard ride in a vehicle during the Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on July 14, 2022.
photo: Ludovic MARIN / AFP
Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that Russia is using gas as a "weapon of war" and that we must be prepared to "give it up," and that Europe is preparing for a complete interruption of Russian gas supplies.
The French president stressed that "Russia uses energy as well as food as a weapon of war... We must prepare today for a scenario in which we have to completely dispense with Russian gas."
During a television interview, marking the occasion of France's Bastille Day that France was already diversifying the sources of its energy supplies, and building stocks ahead of next winter, the French president slammed Russia for manipulation of its energy export to Europe.
Europe has seen increased prices and inflation since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 2022. For the first time in history, euro hit dollar parity. The continent is faced with shortages of food and energy and Europeans are warned of coming of a harsh winter.
France is an active and leading member of the European Union who initially tried to balance its relations with Russia and Ukraine, yet the country is experiencing the affects of war as does almost every other European country.