Putin: Some Forgot Fate of Napoleon

A day after French President Emmanuel Macron described Moscow as a threat to Europe, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that some people have forgotten what happened to Napoleon, referring to the historical French ruler Napoleon Bonaparte.

The French emperor led his army all the way to Moscow in 1812, but was forced to withdraw later in the winter after suffering heavy losses.

French President Emmanuel Macron accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday night of being an “imperialist who distorts history” and committing a “historical fallacy” by comparing the Élysée Palace master to Napoleon Bonaparte.

“Napoleon led conquests. The only imperialist power I see in Europe today is Russia, and he (Putin) is an imperialist who distorts history and the identity of peoples,” Macron said at a news conference.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow should choose a peace in Ukraine that would ensure Russia's long-term security and sustainable development, saying some people had forgotten what happened to Napoleon in response to French President Emmanuel Macron's comments that Russia was a threat to Europe, according to Reuters.

"We must choose for ourselves the option of peace that suits us, which will ensure peace for our country in the long term," Putin told women who lost relatives in the war.

When asked by the mother of a fallen soldier if Russia would back down, Putin said Russia had no intention of doing so.

The United States has been pressing Zelenskiy to cooperate with President Donald Trump in his efforts to hold peace talks with Russia, which launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.

Putin added on Thursday that some people had forgotten what happened to Napoleon, a day after French President Emmanuel Macron described Russia as a threat to Europe and suggested discussing expanding the protection France's nuclear arsenal provides to its European partners.

Putin was referring to the French emperor who led an army across Russia to Moscow in 1812 but was then forced to retreat in a desperate winter with heavy casualties.

"There are still people who want to return to the time of Napoleon, and they forget how it ended," Putin said in televised remarks, without mentioning Macron by name.