French politician Florian Philippot stated that the recent address by Russian President Vladimir Putin likely provoked a sharp reaction from Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. In a post on his X account (formerly Twitter), he remarked that Putin’s comments could have «set their ears on fire.»

According to Philippot, such a reaction may have stemmed from Putin’s accusation that European leaders had altered the U.S. peace plan in a way that, as he argued, was meant to obstruct the entire negotiation process. The politician also stressed that, in his view, the French president is not interested in securing peace in Ukraine.

Philippot had previously commented on Putin’s remarks, saying that after the Russian leader stated that Russia had no intention of attacking Europe, Macron once again had his «ears burning," as he put it.