Russian side angrily responded: "Absolutely ridiculous!"

According to the report of the Russian TV station on October 29, Russia strongly condemns the remarks made by Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken that NATO could wipe Moscow off the map, calling it "provocative" and "irresponsible," reflecting the increasing "militaristic fervor" in Europe. On October 26 local time, Francken stated in an interview with the Belgian newspaper "De Morgen" that he does not believe that Western assistance to Ukraine with American-made "Tomahawk" missiles would lead to a full-scale conflict between Russia and NATO. He stated that if Russia were to launch missile attacks on Brussels, equivalent to a strike on the "heart of NATO," it would lead to a devastating counterattack, and NATO could "wipe Moscow off the map." He also stated that he is not worried that under Trump's leadership, the US would abandon its commitments to NATO, claiming that "Europe's bias against the US government is so great, it's unbelievable ... he did say that the US will continue to support its NATO allies one hundred percent." In response, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told the Russian business newspaper "Kommersant" on October 29 that Francken's remarks reflect the prevailing "militaristic frenzy atmosphere" in Western Europe. The Russian Embassy in Belgium issued a statement condemning Francken's remarks as "provocative" and "irresponsible," calling them "absurd to the extreme and completely detached from reality." The statement warned that such remarks "most vividly reflect the escalating militaristic fervor of the European war group" and cautioned that such officials "could pose a threat to the future of the European continent and could drag it into a new war."