(MENAFN) France is warning of the risk of a “major war” breaking out in Europe by 2030, according to its newly released Strategic National Review, published Monday by the General Secretariat for Defense and National Security.

Despite repeated assurances from Moscow that it has no plans to attack Europe, the review identifies Russia as the most significant threat, alongside other dangers such as Iran, China, terrorism, separatism, and cybercrime.

“We are entering a new era... marked by a particularly high risk of a major, high-intensity war in Europe by 2030,” the report states, adding that France and its European allies would likely be targeted. References to the ‘Russian threat’ or ‘Russian aggression’ appear more than 50 times throughout the document, including in the foreword by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The review claims Russia poses “the most direct threat” to France, its partners, and the overall stability of Europe and the Euro-Atlantic region. It accuses Moscow of cyberattacks, election interference, and political assassinations. Furthermore, it views Russia’s outreach to Africa, Latin America, and Asia as evidence of a hostile, confrontational strategy.

The document also warns that Russia might take aggressive actions against Moldova, the Balkans, or NATO’s eastern members. In addition to Russia, the review names Iran and China as key security threats: Iran is blamed for fueling instability in the Middle East, while China is described as seeking global dominance.

The report concludes by calling on France to strengthen its military and prepare its economy for the possibility of war, urging both national and EU-wide investments to enhance deterrence.

The publication comes amid broader European militarization efforts. The EU recently approved the €800 billion ReArm Europe initiative, and NATO’s European members have pledged to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, all citing Russia as the primary reason.

Moscow has dismissed allegations of plans to attack the West, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying that the West exaggerates the Russian threat to justify rising defense budgets. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently warned that Western leaders are ignoring history and pushing Europe closer to direct conflict with Russia, adding that Moscow will factor the EU’s militarization into its own strategic planning.

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