French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on the Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier, in Malmö, Sweden, February 27, 2026. JOHAN NILSSON / AP
France's foreign minister said on Friday, February 27, that if the drone seen this week near a French aircraft carrier visiting Sweden turned out to be Russian, it would be a "ridiculous provocation." Sweden said one of its navy vessels spotted and jammed the drone 13 kilometers from France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
On Thursday, Sweden's Defense Minister Pal Jonson told the broadcaster SVT that the drone "probably" was of Russian origin, noting that "there was a Russian military vessel in the immediate vicinity at the time."
"If indeed (...) there is a potential Russian origin for this incident, the only conclusion I would draw is that it would be a ridiculous provocation," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told journalists aboard the aircraft carrier. Barrot stressed that the drone could never have posed any real threat to the vessel. "The drone was neutralized away from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and in no way was the security of the aircraft carrier and its group threatened by this."
