French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that Russia’s hybrid attacks targeting France and other European countries have intensified in recent weeks. He said France would respond and has ordered the government to prepare measures to protect critical infrastructure from potential drone and cyber attacks.

Macron said Moscow was seeking to intimidate Europe and weaken its support for Ukraine. He pointed to an attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport in August, which Germany has attributed to Russia, as an example of the changing nature of the threat. Russia has rejected European allegations of hybrid attacks as baseless.

Macron also addressed rising fuel prices and France’s economic pressures, as the government works on its budget for next year. He said the country’s high deficit limits its ability to offset higher fuel costs and announced that G7 countries are expected to meet in the coming weeks to strengthen cooperation and secure energy supplies.

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