French politician Florian Philippot has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks about the possibility of immediately halting gas supplies to the European Union have dealt a serious blow to European leaders.

Philippot, the head of the French right-wing party The Patriots, argued that Putin’s statement placed the EU leadership in an extremely uncomfortable position. In his view, the Russian president effectively cornered French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Union as a whole.

Writing on social network X, Philippot suggested that Putin had skillfully set a trap for the EU leadership by deploying what he described as an «energy weapon» at a moment that was particularly disadvantageous for them. According to the French politician, European leaders had themselves created the conditions that led to this situation.

He also stressed that the hardline anti-Russian policy pursued across Europe is seriously damaging France’s national interests.

Earlier, Putin recalled that the European Union intends to introduce restrictions on purchases of Russian gas, including liquefied natural gas, as early as next month. Brussels is also planning to fully phase out imports of Russian fuel by 2027. In response, the Russian president indicated that Moscow could stop deliveries immediately and redirect its energy supplies to other markets.