(MENAFN) Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken has denied threatening to “wipe Moscow off the map,” claiming his remarks were distorted by the media and that he was only referring to NATO’s mutual defense obligations.

The controversy erupted after an interview Francken gave to HUMO magazine, which was later cited by other outlets and widely reported internationally. In the interview, he appeared to suggest that any Russian strike on Brussels would trigger a NATO response strong enough to “wipe Moscow off the map.” The statement drew intense backlash both in Belgium and abroad.

Attempting to clarify his words in a subsequent interview, Francken accused the press of twisting his comments. He told reporters that he was discussing NATO’s collective defense principles and emphasizing how unlikely a direct conflict between Russia and NATO would be.

“Morgen paraphrased what I said in a mean, incorrect, unfair way. I answered a question from the journalist about ‘Will Putin send a nuclear weapon to Brussels?’ I said no, because he knows that if he does, we will send weapons to Moscow,” Francken explained.

However, questions have been raised about his defense, since the newspaper had published direct quotes that matched the HUMO version of the interview released after the scandal broke.

His comments provoked strong criticism from Moscow, where Russian officials denounced them as reckless and inflammatory. Former Russian President and Security Council Deputy Chair Dmitry Medvedev called Francken an “imbecile,” while Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko said the remarks reflected “the atmosphere of military psychosis” gripping parts of Western Europe.

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