Is President Emmanuel Macron really preparing to take France to war in 2026?

Social media users are claiming that the French government is secretly preparing to go to war with Russia by March 2026, referencing an article published by the satirical newspaper "Le Canard enchaîné".

"Behind his fine words about peace in Ukraine, his [Emmanuel Macron's] hypocrisy comes to light," said one internet user in a post shared on X in August.

Thierry Mariani, MEP for the far-right Rassemblement National party, suggested that Macron would support a war because it would allow him to cancel the 2027 elections, saying that "in a war you can no longer hold elections."

More than three years into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, these rumours have sparked worry and concern. To get to the bottom of this speculation, EuroVerify has checked the facts.

To begin, le Canard enchaîné's article is authentic and was published in August.

The newspaper revealed that France's Health Minister Catherine Vautrin asked French health agencies to prepare for a potential "major engagement" by March 2026, in a letter reportedly sent on 18 July.

According to the newspaper, French authorities have also asked hospitals to prepare for the possibility of treating several thousand soldiers over a period ranging from 10 to 180 days.

The ministry said France's hospitals should be aware of the "limitations in wartime" and be ready to care for both French and foreign soldiers in the event of a major conflict.

The French Health Minister did not deny the existence of this letter in an interview with French broadcaster BFM-TV.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Health crisis centre told EuroVerify that it was anticipating the "various risks and threats that could affect the French healthcare system."

The spokesperson explained that it was preparing for the possibility of dealing with "a potentially large influx of victims from abroad," meaning that the country's hospitals need to be ready to treat "military patients in the civilian health system."

Macron advocates deterrence

Based on the information provided to EuroVerify by French authorities, it appears that Macron is seeking to implement preventive measures should a conflict occur, rather than engaging in the active pursuit of war, which contradicts online users' claims.

Meanwhile, allegations that Emmanuel Macron is secretly seeking to provoke a conflict with Russia contradict the French President's public statements.

The French President supports European rearmament and the so-called Coalition of the Willing assembled for security guarantess for Ukraine, but has also stressed the importance of deterrence in order to prevent Russia from expanding its war of aggression to the rest of the European continent.

Despite having referred to the importance of "not humiliating Russia" back in 2022, Macron frequently speaks about the threat posed by Russia, describing Putin as "an ogre" who "needs to keep eating" to ensure "his survival."

While far-right circles frequently accuse Macron of exaggerating the threat Moscow poses in a bid to maintain power, EuroVerify gathered no evidence to defend this hypothesis.