Belgian defense chief blames ‘wipe Moscow off the map’ remark on ‘mean media’
Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken has said he did not actually threaten to “wipe Moscow off the map,” but merely spoke about NATO’s collective defense mechanisms, accusing the media of “paraphrasing” his statements.
The defense minister made international headlines last week following an ill-fated interview with HUMO magazine, first reported by the daily De Morgen. In it, Francken brushed off concerns that the potential delivery of US-made Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine could trigger an all-out war between Russia and NATO. He argued that an attack on Brussels would prompt the bloc to “wipe Moscow off the map.”
Francken has tried to downplay the remarks since then. On Monday, in an interview with La Premiere, he blamed the scandal on De Morgen, insisting he was merely referring to NATO’s collective defense and the improbability of an all-out Russia-NATO war.
“Morgen paraphrased what I said in a mean, incorrect, unfair way. I answered a question from the journalist about ‘Will Putin send a nuclear weapon to Brussels?’ I said no, because he knows that if he does, we will send weapons to Moscow,” he stated.
It is not clear how De Morgen was to blame, as it provided direct quotes from the defense minister, identical to the HUMO version of the interview that was published after the scandal erupted.
The remarks drew harsh reactions in Russia, with senior officials condemning the defense minister for his “provocative and irresponsible” statements.
Former Russian President and deputy chair of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev called Francken an “imbecile.” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko said Francken’s comments reflect “the atmosphere of military psychosis” prevailing in Western Europe.
