- Stéphane Séjourné said the fall of Ukraine could lead to refugees fleeing across Europe
Europe will be flooded by ’10 million migrants’ if Vladimir Putin wins his war in Ukraine, France’s foreign minister has warned.
Stéphane Séjourné said the country’s collapse could send a wave of Ukrainian refugees fleeing across the continent after being driven from their homes.
Speaking on France’s Inter radio on Friday, the foreign minister also indicated that Putin’s war against the West would not stop in Ukraine, adding that the French government “has information” suggesting that Moldova could be his next target can be.
Séjourné said: “First of all, there is a risk that Ukraine will collapse and this risk has consequences.
“We are talking about ten million Ukrainians who could leave Ukraine in case of a collapse. And we know very well, and have information, that Russia will not stop there.”
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné (pictured) has warned that Europe will be flooded by ’10 million migrants’ if Vladimir Putin wins his war in Ukraine
The Foreign Minister also indicated that Putin’s (photo) war in Ukraine would not stop
A Ukrainian tank from the 17th Tank Brigade fires on Russian positions in Khasiv Yar, the site of heavy fighting with Russian forces in the Donetsk region, on February 29
The minister added that he agreed with French President Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion that the West should send ground troops to Ukraine to fight Russia if it wants Moscow to be defeated.
Séjourné said: “A very clear framework has been established, which is to control Russia without going to war with Russia. And within that framework, nothing is excluded.
‘It contributes to strategic ambiguity, but at the same time puts us on the right side of history. I’m very happy with it.
His comments came days after Putin threatened to bomb the West with nuclear weapons after accusing NATO and the US of “preparing to attack Russia.”
Commenting on the threat, Séjourné said: “When we decided to send military equipment, he brought up the nuclear threat. When we decided to send tanks, he brought up the nuclear threat. When we decided to send planes, he brought up the nuclear threat.
“So now we take it to the next level, we rule out everything, and he brings up the nuclear threat.
‘We are in a vulnerable situation with the preparations for the European elections and the Olympic Games… It is their services, our public services, our transport, our hospitals.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a press conference at the end of the international conference aimed at strengthening Western support for Ukraine on February 26
‘Imagine if we had no hospitals in the Paris region for two minutes, if transport came to a standstill due to Russian computer attacks. All this means that Russia has changed its position.”
The Russian president, 71, said in an annual address to the nation on Thursday: ‘They are preparing to attack our territory and are using the best possible forces, the most effective forces.
“But we remember the fate of those who try to invade our territory, and of course their fate will be far more tragic than anything we may encounter.”
Putin repeatedly praised Russia’s vastly modernized nuclear arsenal in his speech, adding as a warning to the West: “They must understand that we also have weapons, weapons that can defeat them on their own territory.”
‘All this is of course very dangerous, because it could actually lead to the use of nuclear weapons. Don’t they understand that?’
The Russian despot also chillingly assured that “strategic nuclear weapons are in a state of full readiness for guaranteed use,” but warned that the use of nuclear weapons would be tantamount to the “destruction of civilization.”