Macron hits back at Russian fury, says Kremlin feels exposed

By Michel Rose

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday hit back at Russia, after the Kremlin warned him not to threaten it with nuclear rhetoric and drew comparisons with Napoleon's failed conquest of Russia.

In a solemn address on Wednesday, Macron warned the French nation Russia was rearming quickly on the back of its invasion of Ukraine and could attack more countries if it was not firmly deterred, including with the French nuclear umbrella.

"I know President Putin well. If he's reacting like that, it's because he knows what I said is true," Macron told reporters at an EU summit in Brussels.

"He's making a historical error: Napoleon waged conquests. The only imperialistic power I see in Europe right now is Russia," he said, responding to a question posed by a Russian journalist in exile in France.

Macron said he knew Putin could betray his word, because he had done just that when it did not respect the Minsk agreements signed with France, Germany and Ukraine after the invasion of Crimea in 2014.

He also said the reactions in Moscow on Thursday were probably so vociferous because Russia's intentions to continue waging war with Europe eventually, if a rushed peace treaty in Ukraine is signed, had been uncovered.

"He was probably piqued by the fact we're exposing his game," Macron said.

Responding to a question on U.S. President Donald Trump's comments questioning whether France would come to the U.S.'s rescue if it was attacked, Macron said France and other European countries had joined U.S. troops in fighting in Afghanistan after 9/11.

"Not only the French, but the Europeans were there when we were called for Afghanistan. And by the way, they weren't politely warned when (the U.S. left Afghanistan)," Macron said. "We are loyal and faithful allies."

Macron also said he had been approached by other leaders all day during an EU summit in Brussels about his offer to extend French nuclear deterrence to the rest of Europe and hopes to see cooperation by the end of the first half of 2025, after technical talks with other leaders.

He has invited other EU leaders to a meeting of European army chiefs in Paris on Tuesday, he said.

(Reporting by Michel Rose; Editing by Chris Reese and Lincoln Feast.)