President Putin's Allies Remind Emmanuel Macron What The Fate Of The Napoleonic Army When Trying To Invade Russia

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin's ally warned French President Emmanuel Macron that any force he sent to Ukraine would meet the same end as Napoleon Bonaparte's Grande Armee, whose invasion of Russia in 1812 ended in death and defeat.

President Macron on Monday opened the door for European countries to send troops to Ukraine, although he warned that there was no consensus at this stage.

His comments prompted many other Western countries, including the United States and Britain, to say they had no such plans, while the Kremlin warned the conflict between Russia and the US-led NATO military alliance would not have avoided if NATO members from Europe sent troops to the country to fight in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, President Putin's ally who is also President Vyacheslav Volodin said President Macron appeared to see himself as Napoleon and warned him against following in the footsteps of the French emperor.

"To maintain his personal power, Macron cannot think of anything better than triggering a third world war. His initiative is becoming dangerous for French citizens," Volodin wrote on its official social media account.

"Before making such a statement, Macron should remember how it ended up for Napoleon and his soldiers, more than 600,000 of whom were lying in humid lands," he said.

Napoleon's invasion of 1812 into Russia initially made rapid progress and captured Moscow. However, Russian tactics forced Grande Armee to retreat far away and hundreds of thousands of his men died from disease, hunger and cold.

The war in Ukraine has sparked the worst crisis in Russia's relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and Putin, which controls the world's largest nuclear arsenal, have warned of the dangers of direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.

However, President Macron's remarks were welcomed by several parties outside Russia, particularly in Eastern Europe.

Separately, former President Dmitry Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, believes Macron has a dangerous fantasy of splendor, saying his statement is an example of how flawed Western political thinking is.

"The heir to Bonaparte, who tried to sign the gold rank that was snatched 200 years ago, is eager to take revenge as much as Napoleon and make cruel and very dangerous nonsense," he said.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova said President Macron's statement had revealed that other Western countries, unlike the French president, understand the risks of direct clashes between NATO and Russian forces.

"Leaders in many European countries are quick to say they are not and do not plan such a thing," he explained.

"This shows they understand the dangers," he said.