Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken caused an uproar earlier this week by stating to De Morgen newspaper that Tomahawk missiles could safely be delivered to Ukraine because NATO could “wipe Moscow off the map,” adding that any attack on Brussels would leave the Russian capital “flattened.” Moscow responded by denouncing Francken as “irresponsible” and an example of “military psychosis.”
On Oct. 30, Francken “clarified” his earlier comments by posting on social media that NATO “is not at war with Russia and has no desire to be,” and that in any event NATO is “by definition a defensive alliance.” Having dispensed with the niceties, Francken wrote: “That’s what I meant in the … interview, and I don’t take back a single word.”
