Contradicting Trump: Macron will not shoot down Russian planes — Le Figaro

NATO countries should step up their response in case of "new provocations" by Russia, but they are not going to shoot down Russian aircraft. This was stated in an interview with France 24 and Radio France Internationale from New York by French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the newspaper Le Figaro.

"This means that if someone provokes you again, you have to react a little more strongly," Macron explained.

However, faced with these "tests" of the Russian army, "we are not going to open fire," he stressed.

The newspaper notes that the French leader spoke out, "contradicting US President Donald Trump on this issue."

"NATO has responded in a proportionate way by increasing its defense capabilities," Macron added. He warned that in case of "new provocations with incursions into air or ground space, we must intensify our response actions."

As reported by EADaily, US President Donald Trump believes that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they violate airspace. He stated this during a meeting with the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.