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Ukraine

Putin should understand NATO also has nuclear weapons, says French foreign minister

In a Thursday television address, Putin said Russia would respond if outside forces try and interfere with military operations in Ukraine

Louis Casiano By Louis Casiano Fox News
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France's foreign minister said Russian President Vladimir Putin should understand that NATO also has nuclear weapons when making threats to deploy his arsenal.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was speaking with French television network TF1Info when he was asked if Putin's remarks were "tantamount to threatening Russian use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict," Reuters reported. 

He said he believed so. 

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"Yes, I think that Vladimir Putin must also understand that the Atlantic alliance is a nuclear alliance," he answered during the Thursday TV appearance. "That is all I will say about this."

Hours earlier, Putin spoke from the Kremlin in Moscow where he said Russia would respond with force should other nations try and interfere with its military operations in Ukraine. 

"Whoever tries to hinder us, and even more so, to create threats to our country, to our people, should know that Russia's response will be immediate. And it will lead you to such consequences that you have never encountered in your history," the Russian president said.

Ukraine came under siege Thursday as Russia launched multiple airstrikes, prompting many to flee their homes and seek safety elsewhere. 

  • Vladimir Putin
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    Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking to the media during a joint news conference with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Feb. 1. The Russian leader should understand that NATO also has nuclear weapons, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Thursday.  (Yuri Kochetkov/Pool)

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    Local people form a long line to withdraw cash from a bank's ATM in Lviv, western Ukraine, on Thursday. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Donbas and multipronged attack on several Ukrainian cities has begun.  (The Yomiuri Shimbun)

  • Image 3 of 6

    A crater caused by shelling, according to Ukraine's local officials, at the compound of a lyceum in the town of Vrubivka, in the Luhansk region in Ukraine. (Press Service of the Popasna Town Civil-Military Administration/Handout via Reuters)

  • Image 4 of 6

    Police officers detain a demonstrator with a poster that reads "I'm against the war" in Moscow on Thursday. Hundreds of people gathered in the center of Moscow to protest against Russia's attack on Ukraine.  (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

  • Image 5 of 6

    Demonstrators march with a banner that reads: "Ukraine - Peace, Russia - Freedom" in Moscow.  (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

  • Image 6 of 6

    People gather in a shelter during Russian shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine.  (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Le Drian said Ukraine has not asked NATO member states to deploy military forces on the ground but is requesting humanitarian aid and financial assistance. Ukraine is not a member of NATO, and leaders there have called for the alliance to cut diplomatic ties with Moscow. 

The United States has imposed sanctions on Russia but has not pledged to respond with a military presence. 

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"Strangling Russia economically and financially will in the long run be stronger than any intervention," the foreign minister said.

Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com.