On Thursday, Macron said Paris would not use nuclear weapons as part of the Ukraine crisis even if Moscow used them against Kiev.
"It reveals President Macron's hand," Wallace commented on France's position at a NATO ministerial meeting, as quoted by the Telegraph.
Meanwhile, NATO sources told the media outlet that Macron's statement threatened "the principles of deterrence," adding that they, in turn, "don't go into details on scenarios."
The European Union and NATO have ramped up rhetoric about alleged Russian plans to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Russia has slammed the allegation and said that it would only use nuclear weapons under the conditions outlined in its constitution.
Президент Франции Эммануэль Макрон пьет кофе после выступления в Европейском парламенте в Страсбурге, 2018 год
© AFP 2023 / Frederick Florin
In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the West had crossed all boundaries in its anti-Russian policy and constant threats against Moscow, including nuclear blackmail. High-ranking NATO officials have long been talking about the possibility and admissibility of using weapons of mass destruction against Moscow, Putin added.
In particular, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, speaking at the opening of the European Diplomatic Academy in Bruges on Thursday, promised a "powerful answer from the military side" to Russia if the country launched a nuclear attack against Ukraine.