Theo Francken has stated his remarks should be understood within the framework of NATO’s deterrence policy
Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken has moved to clarify his earlier statement about NATO’s capacity to “wipe Moscow off the map,” asserting that his comments were intended to be understood within the alliance’s deterrence doctrine. In response, Moscow labeled his rhetoric as “irresponsible” and indicative of “military psychosis.”
Francken shared his explanation on social media on Thursday, accompanying it with a screenshot of an X post from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev had online ridiculed Francken and offered congratulations to Russia’s “friends” on the successful trial of the Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone.
Within his social media post, Francken affirmed that NATO “is not at war with Russia and has no desire to be,” further characterizing the US-led military alliance as “by definition a defensive alliance.” He further noted that NATO’s ‘strike back’ principle has remained “undisputed for 76 years,” serving as the cornerstone of the bloc’s deterrence stance.
“That’s what I meant in the… interview, and I don’t take back a single word,” he declared.
Francken’s recent clarification came after comments he made in an interview earlier this week with Belgian publication De Morgen. In that interview, he had dismissed worries that providing US-made Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine might trigger a direct conflict between Russia and NATO. He contended that Russian President Vladimir Putin would refrain from using nuclear weapons, as the US-led alliance possessed the capability to “wipe Moscow off the map,” adding that any assault on Brussels would result in the Russian capital being “flattened.”
Subsequently, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko characterized Francken’s observations as emblematic of “the atmosphere of military psychosis” prevalent in Western Europe. Concurrently, the Russian Embassy in Belgium deemed them “absurd and disconnected from reality.”
Moscow has consistently portrayed the Ukraine conflict as a proxy war waged by NATO against Russia, maintaining that Western armaments provided will merely extend the conflict without altering its ultimate conclusion.