Kremlin calls French ballistic missile test a “loud and clear message”
In short
The Kremlin said it regards France’s test launch of a ballistic missile as a “loud and clear message”, echoing the words of President Emmanuel Macron, and that such problems should be settled through dialogue rather than demonstrative launches. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said Europe is “obsessed” with militarising the EU and building its defence identity on confrontation with Russia. France carried out the launch without a warhead from the submarine Le Vigilant, according to Kommersant.
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The Kremlin said it regards France’s test launch of a ballistic missile as a “loud and clear message”, the same phrase used by French President Emmanuel Macron, and that disputes should be settled through dialogue rather than demonstrative missile launches. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists: “As a loud and clear message, that is how we regard it — the way he (Macron) said it.” He added: “We believe any problems should be solved not by demonstrative missile launches, but by dialogue.” [ 3 , 4 ]
Peskov also said Europe is “obsessed with plans to militarise the European Union, that is, the economic bloc, to turn it into a military-political bloc”, which he said would give it three areas of activity: economic, military and military-political. He said this is bad because Europe builds its defence and security identity on confrontation with Russia, calling it a “dead-end path” that history shows leads to nothing good. [ 3 ]
At the same time, Peskov said Russia tracks all such plans and actions and takes the necessary measures to ensure national security at the strategic level, while remaining open to dialogue — a position he attributed to President Vladimir Putin. [ 3 , 4 ]
Kommersant reported that the French armed forces had, for the first time, carried out a test launch of the new M51.3 ballistic missile, which is capable of carrying a nuclear charge, and that the launch was conducted without a warhead from the submarine Le Vigilant. It said France is one of two European countries possessing nuclear weapons, the other being the United Kingdom. [ 4 ]
As background, Kommersant recalled that in March the French president announced a shift to “advanced nuclear deterrence”, and that on 5 March 2025 Macron said Europe needed a common “nuclear umbrella” capable of preventing possible risks, with French deterrence considered not only a national defence tool but a potential guarantee for other European countries. Kommersant reported that the Russian Foreign Ministry called those statements “notes of nuclear blackmail” and saw in them a bid by Paris to become Europe’s nuclear “patron”, taking on a role previously associated with American protection. [ 4 ]
Interfax and Kommersant both carried the Kremlin comments within minutes of each other; state agency RIA Novosti reported the Kremlin’s reaction in headline items without further detail in its feed summaries. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The exchange is the latest public signal in Russian-French friction over nuclear deterrence, a subject that touches wider European security. Both sides in the documents framed the launch as a message rather than a technical test, though Moscow said it remains open to dialogue. The documents give no indication of any change in Russia’s posture beyond monitoring and taking unspecified measures at the strategic level.
Key facts
- France carried out a test launch of a ballistic missile without a nuclear charge, and the Kremlin commented on it. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow regards the launch as a “loud and clear message”, which he said is how French President Emmanuel Macron described it. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Peskov said any problems should be solved through dialogue rather than demonstrative missile launches. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Peskov said Europe is “obsessed” with plans to militarise the European Union and turn the economic bloc into a military-political one. [ 3 ]
- Peskov said Russia monitors such plans and takes necessary measures to ensure national security at the strategic level, while remaining open to dialogue. [ 3 ]
- Kommersant reported the launch was the first test of the new M51.3 ballistic missile, capable of carrying a nuclear charge, and was fired without a warhead from the submarine Le Vigilant. [ 4 ]
- Kommersant reported that France is one of two European countries with nuclear weapons, alongside the United Kingdom, and cited Macron’s March statements on an “advanced nuclear deterrence” and a shared European “nuclear umbrella”. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The exact date of the launch. Interfax says the launch took place on Tuesday and Kommersant says it happened the day before its 7 October report, but no document states an explicit calendar date.
- That the missile was the new M51.3, that it was the first such test, and that it was launched from the submarine Le Vigilant. These details appear only in Kommersant, a single outlet.
- That Macron himself called the launch a “loud and clear message”, and the wording of his remarks. Interfax attributes the description to Macron but gives no direct quotation from him; Kommersant reports Peskov’s use of the phrase without attributing it to Macron.
- Whether the missile test is part of a wider French or European decision, and what response, if any, Russia has taken. The documents describe Moscow as monitoring the situation and taking unspecified measures at the strategic level, without details.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- RIA Novosti reports that the Kremlin commented on video of the French ballistic missile launch. [ 1 ]
- RIA Novosti reports that the Kremlin commented on the ballistic missile tests in France. [ 2 ]
- Interfax reports Peskov saying the Kremlin regards the launch as a loud and clear message and that problems should be solved through dialogue. [ 3 ]
- Kommersant reports the same remarks and adds that the launch was the first test of the new M51.3 missile from the submarine Le Vigilant. [ 4 ]