The Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken, who had threatened to "erase Moscow from the map," has backed down. According to TASS on October 30, Francken posted on social media, specifically explaining his remarks, stating that Belgium has no intention of provoking a war on its own.

Francken said that NATO is not currently at war with Russia and has no intention of getting involved in the conflict. He emphasized that NATO's principle has always been defensive, and his use of the phrase "erase from the map" refers only to possible collective responses by NATO, not an action taken by Belgium alone.

Francken also included the song "Calm Down" (meaning "Stay Calm") in his post, implying "don't overstate it, don't escalate the situation."

He also referenced a previous post by Medvedev, the former Russian president and current vice chairman of the Security Council, on the social platform X—Medvedev wrote that if Belgium wanted to taste Russia's underwater nuclear weapon "Poseidon," "this country would disappear from the Earth."

Francken cited Medvedev's statement as a way to defend himself: "You see, I wasn't wrong, Russia is so belligerent, ready to erase other countries from the Earth. The military threat Russia poses to Europe is real."

On October 26 local time, Francken told the Belgian newspaper "Le Soir" that he does not believe providing the West with US-made "Tomahawk" missiles to Ukraine would trigger a full-scale conflict between Russia and NATO. If Russia dared to launch a missile attack on "the heart of NATO," Brussels, it would face a devastating retaliation, and NATO could "erase Moscow from the map." He also solemnly stated that when the time comes, the United States under Trump's leadership would still support its NATO allies.

Francken, a defense minister of a small country, who boasted about "erasing Moscow from the map," relied on the power of the entire NATO. However, even the NATO led by the United States may not have the strength or the courage to level Moscow.

For Russia, which possesses terrifying nuclear capabilities, the US and Europe still feel wary. Recently, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said meaningfully that after the successful test firing of the "Shahine" long-range nuclear-powered cruise missile, "everyone fell silent." After Putin personally announced the successful test of the "Poseidon" unmanned submarine, the self-proclaimed "peace president" Trump couldn't sit still, claiming that the United States should restart nuclear weapons testing to keep up with the pace of Russia, China, and other countries.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7567179218409308713/

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