Zakharova called Mattarella's words about the threat of Russia's nuclear weapons to Europe a lie.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella, saying that Russia allegedly threatens Europe with nuclear weapons, is openly deceiving and spreading false information, and he should be held accountable for his words. This was announced on March 13 by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.

"Did you say that the Italian president said that Russia was allegedly threatening Europe with nuclear weapons? It's a lie, it's a lie, it's not true, it's fake, it's disinformation. I've given you all the words. Choose the one that you think is the most descriptive, or use all of them. We must answer for these words," the diplomat said at a briefing.

She noted that journalists have the right to ask the Italian leader on what basis he allows himself to tell such lies.

"Maybe he would deign to confirm his words in some way? But I can tell you right away: he won't be able to do it. He will not find a single statement by any official in the Russian Federation that could be interpreted in this way," Zakharova added.

The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry also suggested that Mattarella may have confused Russia with another country, and in fact meant that France was threatening Europe with nuclear weapons. Just recently, French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the topic of "opening a kind of nuclear umbrella over Europe."

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Earlier on March 13, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that no one would allow Europe to deploy a "nuclear umbrella", which French President Emmanuel Macron proposed, and the militarization of Europe as a whole is a "dubious enterprise." Therefore, it is best for the EU to "live together" and pursue a peaceful policy, as the conflict in Ukraine has already taught everyone.

Earlier, on March 6, Macron said in his address to the nation that he intends to discuss the use of nuclear weapons in order to protect the entire European Union. He also called on the association to provide itself with the largest amount of military equipment and to increase its defense capabilities "in the name of peace itself."

Prior to that, on February 22, Italian journalist and activist Vincenzo Lorusso handed Zakharova a petition apologizing on behalf of the Italian people for President Mattarella's remarks comparing Russia to the Third Reich.

At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the French president's speech clearly contained notes of nuclear blackmail, and Russia will take this into account in its defense planning. The ministry noted that Paris has expressed ambitions to become a nuclear "patron" of Europe, offering its "nuclear umbrella" as an alternative to the American one.