French President Emmanuel Macron gave a major televised address on Wednesday, saying that the era of peace Europe had enjoyed since World War II appeared to be over.

“Our generation will no longer reap the dividends of peace. It is up to us to ensure that our children reap the dividends of our commitments tomorrow,” Macron said.

Most notably, Macron said that France would “open the strategic debate” on extending its nuclear umbrella to some of its allies in Europe in response to a call from likely German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The French president didn’t specify what allies this included or whether it would include Ukraine.

“The Russian threat is here and is affecting European countries, affecting us,” Macron said. “I want to believe that the U.S. will stay by our side, but we have to be ready if they don’t.”

Moscow viewed Macron’s sentiment as a direct threat against Russia.

“This is, of course, a threat,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow.

“Unlike their predecessors, who also wanted to fight against Russia, Napoleon, Hitler, Mr. Macron does not act very gracefully, because at least they said it bluntly: ‘We must conquer Russia, we must defeat Russia,’” he added.

Merz has been as outspoken as Macron, proposing drastic measures to fast-track Germany’s rearmament. On Tuesday, Merz announced a reversal of the famously fiscally conservative country’s financial position, removing caps on military spending.

“Given the threats to our freedom and to peace on our continent, we must do whatever it takes for our continent,” he said, adding that the country needs to rearm.

The new move on military spending, along with a €500 billion fund for infrastructure spending, carries its own risks, however. Friedrich Heinemann, an economist at the ZEW think-tank, said the deal would skyrocket Germany’s debt.

“This would quickly put Germany among the highly indebted countries of the EU, and the debt-to-GDP ratio will reach 100 per cent as early as 2034,” Heinemann said, according to First Post.

Merz and Macron will discuss a restructuring of the 27-nation nation bloc’s security at Thursday’s European Union Summit in Brussels. Zelensky will also attend the summit.

On the agenda is a proposal from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to open up  €800 billion over several years for defense spending.

In his Wednesday address, alluding to Thursday’s meeting, Macron said that the EU will “take decisive steps forward,” increasing military spending for members and “massive joint funding will be provided to buy and produce some of the most innovative munitions, tanks, weapons and equipment in Europe.”

HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS UKRAINE NATO MEMBERSHIP OUT OF THE QUESTION: ‘TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE’

Despite Zelensky’s attendance, Thursday’s meeting isn’t expected to address major proposals regarding aid to Ukraine, such as the seizing of frozen Russian assets to use for Ukraine’s military.

European leaders have expressed their wish to boost military aid to Ukraine after the U.S. paused further weapon shipments, though it quickly became apparent they couldn’t match the U.S.’s commitments. Current calls for rearmament would take time and are aimed at boosting European defense in the future.