Russia says Macron's speech contains 'notes of nuclear blackmail'

MOSCOW, March 6 (Reuters) - Russia on Thursday accused French President Emmanuel Macron of making threats towards it in a speech that it said contained "notes of nuclear blackmail".

In his address to the nation on Wednesday, Macron said that Russia was a threat to Europe, Paris could discuss extending its nuclear umbrella to allies and that he would hold a meeting of army chiefs from European countries willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine after a peace deal.

"Notes of nuclear blackmail are clearly heard in E. Macron's speech. Paris' ambitions to become the nuclear 'patron' of all of Europe have burst out into the open, by providing it with its own 'nuclear umbrella', almost to replace the American one. Needless to say, this will not lead to strengthening the security of either France itself or its allies" the ministry said.

Earlier on Thursday Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Macron's nuclear rhetoric posed a threat to Russia.