Or so it was thought.
Turns out the bluster wasn't such a good idea, and it proves how useless NATO has become.
Late last week, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire declared the country would wage an "all-out economic and financial war" on Russia after President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to invade Ukraine.
That said, while such an economic assault is expected to "punish" Russia, Le Maire shortly backed off from his remarks, probably on instruction from French President Emmanuel Macron over fears it could lead to war between Russia and NATO -- though that isn't likely one that Putin would win without resorting to nuclear weapons, an exchange that would leave his own country in ashes.
"Responding to Moscow’s decision to go to war with Ukraine, Washington and its closest allies have imposed a string of sanctions aimed against Russia’s central bank, government officials (including President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov), and barred some Russian banks from the SWIFT international payments system," Canada-based Global Research reported.
"When describing the sanctions, Le Maire said they are proving to be 'extremely effective.' However, it was his next comments that raised eyebrows" in an interview with France Info Radio, the outlet noted further.
“We’re waging an all-out economic and financial war on Russia. We will cause the collapse of the Russian economy. The Russian people will also pay the price," Le Maire stated.
In short, Le Maire intimated his country would 'wage economic war' on all 140 million Russian citizens, which drew a heated response from a former leader, President and Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev.
"Today, some French minister has said that they declared an economic war on Russia. Watch your tongue, gentlemen! And don’t forget that in human history, economic wars quite often turned into real ones," he wrote on Twitter.
Today, some French minister has said that they declared an economic war on Russia. Watch your tongue, gentlemen! And don’t forget that in human history, economic wars quite often turned into real ones
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) March 1, 2022
Following the dust-up in an interview with Agence France Presse, Le Maire said he misspoke and that the term "war" was not in line with Paris' effort to de-escalate tensions regarding Russia's war with Ukraine.
"We are not in a battle against the Russian people," he said.
Nevertheless, Putin's government earlier in the week moved to put temporary curbs on foreigners who sought to take some of their investments out of Russia, halting an exodus of capital that was led mostly by Western-imposed economic sanctions that cut Russian banks off from the SWIFT international payments system.
"What the Europeans do not realize is that Moscow sees this current crisis as an existential battle for survival. When Putin announced on TV his 'special military operation,'" he issued a stern warning, Global Research noted.
"To anyone who would consider interfering from the outside – if you do, you will face consequences greater than any of you have faced in history," Putin said.
Following that warning, comments Putin made in 2018 began circulating in diplomatic and media circles: "...[I]f someone decides to annihilate Russia, we have the legal right to respond. Yes, it will be a catastrophe for humanity and for the world. But I’m a citizen of Russia and its head of state. Why do we need a world without Russia in it?”
Global Research went on to point out that Russia controls a large percentage of oil and gas flows into Europe, and that should the economic pressure get to be too much for Moscow, Putin can merely decide to cut the Europeans off completely, which would destroy the continent's economy and lead to mass death by freezing.
But letting Putin continue to finance his war effort with Western dollars is equally counterproductive if the objective is to get him to stop his invasion.
If this entire episode demonstrates anything it is this: The countries that comprise NATO are essentially neutered by reliance on Russian energy, and Putin knew this before he attacked.
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