Lavrov Schools "Napoleon" Macron: 'Anyone Reasonable Understands Russia Does Not Want War With Europe'

French President Emmanuel Macron made televised remarks warning that Putin is a threat to the European continent, stating that if Russia can invade Ukraine unpunished, no one can be sure of anything. Macron also accused Putin of violating borders, assassinating opponents, and manipulating elections. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded, saying that Russia does not want a war with Europe and that Macron's comments are saber-rattling. Lavrov compared Macron to Hitler and Napoleon, who also wanted to fight Russia, but suffered catastrophic losses. Lavrov denied claims that Russia wants to take the fight beyond Europe, saying that Russia only wants to eliminate the root causes of the situation created by the West in Ukraine. Macron's nuclear comments were also criticized by Lavrov, who warned that such rhetoric is a threat. Russian officials, including Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and Putin spokesman Dimitry Peskov, blasted Macron's comments as detached from reality and contradictory to his prior stance of wanting de-escalation. Meanwhile, a Russian missile strike on a hotel in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown killed three people and injured 31. The war continues to drag on, with civilians suffering, and there is widespread acknowledgement that Ukraine cannot win the war, leaving it with no options but to either continue the war of attrition or negotiate a peace with permanent territorial concessions.