A French head of state should not say that
said François-Xavier Bellamy, head of the Les Républicains (LR) list in the European elections on June 9.
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This expression is exceptionally serious, because here we touch the very nerve of French sovereignty.
he told “Grand Rendez-Vous Europe1/CNews/Les Echos”, while the National Rally (RN) and, on the left, France Insoumise (LFI) also increased the criticism.
In an interview given on Friday to young Europeans and published on Saturday by the regional newspapers of the Ebra group (East-Bourgogne-Rhône-Alpes), Mr. Macron returned to this recurring and extremely sensitive theme of European security.
I am in favor of opening this debate which must therefore include anti-missile defense, long-range weapon firing, nuclear weapons for those who have them or who have American nuclear weapons on their soil. Let’s put everything on the table and look at what truly protects us in a credible way
he declared, adding that France would keep its specificity but is ready to contribute more to the defense of European soil
.
Since Brexit and the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, France is the only one of its member states to have a nuclear deterrent. However, the dialogue on security issues continues with London, particularly within the European Political Community (EPC), a newly created forum at the initiative of the French president.
During a speech on Europe on Thursday at the Sorbonne, Mr. Macron pleaded for a Europe power
and the creation of a defense Europe credible
alongside NATO and against Russia, which has become much more threatening since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The atom “cannot be shared”
This may mean deploying anti-missile shields, but we must be sure that they block all missiles and deter the use of nuclear power.
explained Mr. Macron in his interview with the Ebra group newspapers.
Being credible also means having long-range missiles that would deter the Russians. And there is nuclear weapons: French doctrine is that we can use them when our vital interests are threatened. I have already said that there is a European dimension to these vital interests
he stressed.
In his speech at the Sorbonne, Mr. Macron had already addressed this question of French nuclear weapons.
Nuclear deterrence is in fact at the heart of French defense strategy. It is therefore, in essence, an essential element in the defense of the European continent.
he said, repeating aspects of a speech on deterrence given in February 2020.
Like the right, LFI estimated on Sunday, in a press release from its parliamentary group, that Mr. Macron has just dealt a new blow to the credibility of the French nuclear deterrent
.
This one do not share
And under the cover of defending European soil, Macron wants to liquidate French strategic autonomy
criticized LFI deputy Bastien Lachaud, specialist in defense issues, on X.
On the far right, RN MEP Thierry Mariani affirmed, also on Macron is becoming a national danger
. After nuclear weapons, will follow France’s permanent seat on the UN Security Council which will also be sold to the European Union
he protested.
At the antipodes, the head of the list of European Ecologists Marie Toussaint, in favor of a European federal jump
considered that this meant the sharing of this force that is the French weapon, therefore nuclear power too
.
The construction of a defense Europe has been an objective of France for a very long time, but it has often encountered reluctance from its partners who considered the NATO umbrella more secure.
The invasion of Ukraine and the possible return to the White House of Donald Trump have, however, revived the relevance of the debate on European autonomy in matters of defense.
