French military chief says threat of war with Russia his 'primary concern'

Chief of Staff of the French armed Forces Fabien Mandon arrives before a meeting between France's President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Elysée Palace in Paris on November 17, 2025. LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP

France's top general on Thursday, April 9, said the possibility of a war with Russia in the next few years remained his "primary concern" as he defended efforts to ramp up defense spending. The chief of the defense staff General Fabien Mandon spoke in parliament as he presented France's draft legislation to boost defense spending between 2024 and 2030.

"The persistence of a Russian threat on our continent, with the possibility of an open war, remains my primary concern in terms of military preparedness," Mandon told the defense committee of parliament's lower house during a hearing devoted to the updated military programming draft law.

According to the draft legislation unveiled by the government on Wednesday, €36 billion was to be added to France's defense spending, on top of the €413 billion allocated for the period of 2024 to 2030.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the French top general's concerns were "absolutely unfounded." "Russia poses no threat to any country that does not plan to become a hub for anti-Russian activities, that does not plan to destroy the Russian-speaking population, and that does not plan in any way to undermine the security of Russia," he said. Peskov expressed regret that European countries were "completely refusing any form of contact."