French President Emmanuel Macron denied claims that the CIA had informed France of a possible Russian drone operation targeting southern Europe.
In a joint interview aired on french broadcasters France 2 and TF1 he said that “we can deny this piece of information, the CIA did not inform France of this information and the Italian defence minister said the same thing”.
On Thursday, Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that the CIA had warned several southern European governments of a possible Russian drone operation targeting Spain, France and Italy.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto dismissed the reports on Thursday, writing on X that “the alarm raised this morning by a Spanish newspaper that hypothesises possible attacks on Italy, Spain, and France by Russian ships and drones serves no one and is not confirmed.”
“We already live in difficult, ‘nervous’ times, and no one needs more fuel on the fire”, he added.
Russia’s threat against Europe
Addressing Russia’s ongoing and intensifying hybrid campaign against Europe, Macron referred to the drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport on the night of 4-5 August 2026, which German authorities attributed to Russia.
Macron said France had not experienced a comparable attack so far but warned that one remained possible. “When you ask me, ‘Could this happen?’ my answer is yes,” he said.
The French President stressed that Russia considers “Europe to be the strategic heart of Ukraine,” while also saying that the possibility of Russia seeking to launch an attack against Europe was “plausible.”
“It is clear that there have been several signs indicating that Russia is preparing to do this,” he stated.