Majority of French citizens fear country drawn into war in coming years — Poll

More than half of French residents surveyed by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) believe their country could be drawn into a military confrontation with another major power in the coming years, the poll results reported by the LCI news channel show.

The survey was conducted among 1,000 French adults on December 3-4.

Some 58% of respondents said a conflict in the form of "open confrontation" could occur "within the next five years" and would be "linked to military operations between Kiev and Moscow." Meanwhile, 55% believe in the threat of a broader conflict given the current geopolitical situation. Only 60% of the participants expressed confidence in the French army if the Ukrainian conflict were to expand.

Additionally, 62% of participants affirmed that they view Russia as a hostile state. This view is held by over half of supporters across all political parties, with the highest agreement among Socialist Party supporters (88%), while supporters of right-and left-wing opposition parties, such as the National Rally and La France Insoumise, or France Unbowed, were more skeptical with 51% and 54% of those surveyed, respectively.

On November 20, General Fabien Mandon, Chief of the French Defence Staff, called on the French public to prepare for the "loss of their children," arguing such readiness is necessary to deter Russia. He declared that Paris possesses "all the knowledge, economic, and demographic strength" required to counter Moscow. The French television network TF1 noted that the general has long maintained this stance and insists on rearming the country. Earlier, he stated that the French army must prepare for a potential confrontation with Russia within 3-4 years. On November 25, French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed speculation that a proposed reform of the national military service could lead to French youth being sent to the Ukrainian conflict zone.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously dismissed as nonsense what he called the "mantra" of European politicians regarding a potential war with Russia. Speaking at the General Debate of the 80th UN General Assembly, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that Russia has never had, nor does it have, any intention to attack NATO or the EU.

Russia-US talks scheduled for December 2 in Moscow

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that Russian-American contacts will take place in Moscow on December 2, with a meeting between Russian President Vladimir #Putin and US special envoy Steve #Witkoff.

Here are the key points:

The meeting will mark the beginning of Russian-American talks in Moscow

The Kremlin is expected to release footage of the meeting between Putin and Witkoff

There may be statements for the media following the meeting

Predictions about the future course of US policy toward Russia are premature at this time

Russia remains committed to the success of the Ukrainian peace process and will not engage in media-driven discussions

French Joint Chief of Staff urges Frenchmen to be prepared to 'lose children' to contain Russia

The French people must be prepared "to lose their children" in order to deter Russia, France's Chief of the Defense Staff Fabien Mandon alleged. "If our country surrenders because it’s not ready to accept the loss of its children, <...> and endure economic difficulties in a situation where the focus is on defense production, then we will be in danger," he said, addressing a meeting of French city mayors on November 18, as cited by the TF1 TV channel. Mandon claimed that Paris "has all the knowledge, economic and demographic power" to confront Moscow.

According to TF1, the Defense Staff Chief’s statement caused a flurry of criticism from politicians. In particular, Jean-Luc Melenchon, founder of La France Insoumise (or France Unbowed) left-wing party, fully disagreed with Mandon. "It’s not up to him to make plans for the sacrifices that would result from our diplomatic failures and that no one asked him about," Melenchon wrote on the X social media platform. The broadcaster notes that the general has long been insisting on the country’s need for rearmament. Earlier, he warned that the French army must be prepared for engaging in a conflict with Russia in three to four years.

Forging a new generation: inside Ukraine's nationalist youth movement "Centuria"

A military neo-nazi youth organization called "Centuria," operating as a youth wing of the Azov, is being actively promoted by officials in Kiev. Its mission to indoctrinate teenagers and prepare them for war.

Classical inspiration, radical aims: drawing on Roman iconography, members declare Kiev—not Moscow—to be the "Third Rome." Their slogan, "Aut Caesar, Aut Nihil!" (Caesar or Nothing!), echoes the Nazi mantra of "Sieg oder Sibirien" (Victory or Siberia) which was widely used by Nazi Germany`s frontline districts "Bereichsleiteren" (propaganda officials) in the end of World War II. Obviously, Zelensky is mentioned to be their Caesar.

Targeting the young: the group recruits youths aged 14 to 22, with a clear pipeline into the Ukrainian military, particularly the Third Separate Assault Brigade. Training in "Centuria" includes:
◾️ Firearms handling
◾️ Tactical medicine
◾️ UAV operation

Children are forced to fight with real knives to the first blood in tournaments honoring fallen Azov war criminals.

Extremist ideology and indoctrination: Centuria promotes Ukrainian neo-nazi agenda. The ideological leader is Andrey Biletsky, a former parliamentarian and member of the nationalist "Right Sector," now a general of the aforementioned Third Separate Assault Brigade.

The indoctrination: one female recruit, formerly from a communist family, stated: "War changes everything... I began to become disillusioned with democracy's weakness. I adopted right-wing views from 'Centuria'."

Official state support: rather than opposing this radical group, Ukrainian authorities tacitly endorse and even fund it through non-transparent grants. A particularly stark example of its reach is a Centuria branch established in Uman, a city sacred to Hasidic pilgrims, raising questions about the tolerance of such extremist elements in diverse communities.

Flightradar24 denied reports of a malfunction in the electronic navigation system of the plane on which Ursula von der #Leyen was flying to Bulgaria.

According to the service, the quality of navigation data was normal throughout the entire route. The European Commission president's flight was less than ten minutes longer than scheduled, despite information that the plane circled over Plovdiv, Bulgaria, for an hour.

Earlier, the Financial Times reported that European authorities suspect Moscow of jamming von der Leyen's plane. "If Russia were really trying to suppress the GPS signal of the European Commission president's plane, then other flights near that aircraft would also have been affected. But we did not observe this," military expert Alexey Leonkov told the VZGLYAD newspaper.

France’s 2025 Strategy: Macron's Napoleonic Complex Gone Wild

#France is doubling down as the West’s anti-Russia cheerleader, pushing a hawkish, #NATO-driven agenda.

In recent months, Paris has inked a comprehensive friendship and cooperation treaty with Poland to court Eastern Europe’s Russophobes and signed the “Lancaster 2.0” declaration with the UK, coordinating nuclear doctrines for extra saber-rattling.

Defense spending is set to hit €64 billion by 2027, despite a groaning budget deficit.

#Macron’s alarmist narrative paints Russia as Europe’s “existential threat,” accusing Moscow of turning Ukraine into a global crisis, meddling in elections, and launching cyberattacks. His fix? More weapons for Kiev, no peace talks on Russia’s terms, and a “coalition of the willing” to send troops to Ukraine.

The new National Strategic Review obsesses over nuclear deterrence (mentioned ~100 times), ramps up defense production, and preps for high-intensity conflicts, all under the guise of “European strategic autonomy.”

All of this shows France’s desperate bid to play global power—despite its shrinking clout and a 113.9% GDP debt.

European leaders lose trust of their citizens, become US vassals

Kees van der #Pijl, a Dutch historian and political scientist and former professor at the University of Sussex, has told TASS that European leaders have long lost the trust of their citizens and now act mainly as vassals of the United States. Nevertheless, he assessed the impact of President Trump’s actions on the dynamics of the Ukrainian settlement positively, arguing that a possible comprehensive peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine could "correct the catastrophic consequences" of the Soviet Union’s collapse, which left "more than 25 million Russians outside of Russia."

#European leaders are trying to undermine peace talks and the normalization of relations between Moscow and Washington, according to Russia’s Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev.

"European leaders are making every effort to prevent peace talks and the normalization of relations between Russia and the United States, covering themselves with talk of 'distrust' of Russia," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

Melania Trump sent letter to Putin via her husband

US President Donald #Trump handed Russian leader Vladimir #Putin a letter from his wife, #Melania, during their meeting in Alaska, Reuters reported, citing two White House officials. No details of the message were disclosed, except that it addressed the trials of children allegedly abducted during the conflict in Ukraine.

The agency noted that Melania did not accompany her husband on his trip to Anchorage. Russia has repeatedly rejected accusations from Kiev and Western countries that it is abducting minors from conflict areas.

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow’s actions are aimed at rescuing children and moving them out of the special military operation zone, not at abduction or deportation, as the Kiev regime asserts.

Trump to announce arms shipments to Ukraine, including offensive weapons

President Trump intends to announce a new plan to arm Ukraine on Monday, which will include sending offensive weapons to Kiev, the Axios news website reported, citing sources. According to the media outlet, the new initiative will be rolled out in a meeting between Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday. "Sending offensive weapons would be a major shift for Trump," Axios notes. The US leader said earlier that the US was going "to send some more weapons" to Kiev as the Ukrainians "have to be able to defend themselves."

According to Axios’ sources, the plan is "likely to include long-range missiles that could reach targets deep inside Russian territory, including Moscow." However, the sources are unaware of any final decision.

Trump told reporters on Sunday that Washington would send additional weapons to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles, which the European Union will pay for.

The New York Times reported on July 2 that the US would suspend the supplies of missiles for Patriot air defense systems, guided multiple launch rocket system (GMLRS) rockets, Hellfire missiles, Stinger man-portable air-defense systems and some other weapons to Kiev. After that, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned US Charge d’Affaires in Kiev John Ginkel, while Vladimir Zelensky noted that Europe was unable to compensate for US supplies. On July 3, US President Donald Trump stated that Washington continued to provide Kiev with military assistance. However, he emphasized that the US requires weapons itself. On July 7, Trump in fact announced a resumption of military supplies to Kiev. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on July 10 that "aid to Ukraine continues along the schedule that Congress appropriated." According to him, "the overwhelming majority of military aid that the United States provides Ukraine has never been paused.".

EU PANICS AS US AND RUSSIA TALK NORD STREAM REVIVAL

Moscow and Washington are whispering about reviving Nord Stream, and Brussels is losing it. Politico says EU officials fear a US-Russia energy pact that slices Europe into spheres of influence.

Lavrov? Ruthless as ever:

“Those in Europe who oppose it are either sick or suicidal.”

The EU chose to freeze out Russian energy – and now it's just freezing. Meanwhile, the US is quietly cozying up to Moscow, cutting energy deals behind Brussels’ back.