France – French President Emmanuel Macron was subjected to sharp criticism following his statements regarding the use of France’s nuclear capabilities to defend European Union countries, and French politicians accused him of threatening the country’s security.
Marine Le Pen, head of the National Rally parliamentary bloc, wrote on the X website: “We talked about it, but he denied it, he lied. Macron wants to share our nuclear deterrent with the European Union. Don’t let him do that!”
In turn, her fellow party member, MEP Thierry Mariani, expressed the opinion that Macron “becomes a national danger” with such a policy, and suggested that after nuclear weapons, the head of state could “grant the European Union permanent membership in the UN Security Council.” .
Mathilde Pannot, head of the parliamentary bloc of the “Proud France” party, said: “This is madness and an absolutely irresponsible step that increases the risk of nuclear conflict in Europe.” This position contradicts the French nuclear doctrine, according to which we do not believe in the nuclear umbrella. We will not fan the flames of nuclear war for the sake of another country.”
A broader statement issued by her party on Sunday suggested that such a move could signal France’s willingness “to participate in NATO’s nuclear planning.”
The head of the Republican Party’s electoral list in the upcoming summer elections for the European Parliament, François-Xavier Bellamy, told the “C News” television channel, “Combining nuclear deterrence with our European partners is a false ‘good idea’ for defending Europe, and it also constitutes a real and dangerous threat to France’s sovereignty and security.” “The head of state should not say something like this.”
According to him, spreading the “nuclear umbrella” to include other European Union countries would be tantamount to a “betrayal” of the French, given the amount of money the country has invested in developing the technology, in addition to the fact that the use of nuclear weapons and the deterrence factor are linked to nuclear power, and the peculiarities of decision-making at the state level. , which differs for all European Union countries.
He added that if the decision to use French weapons was taken at the European Union level, this would weaken France itself.
The leader of the Patriots Party, Florian Philippou, wrote on the “X” platform, calling on his citizens to demand the president’s resignation: “This is in fact the murder of France!” “It is clearly an act of high treason.” To support his position, he published statements by the first leader of the Fifth Republic, General Charles de Gaulle, to the effect that “if France has to go to war, it must be its own,” and also “if the defense of France ceases to If it is part of the national structure and begins to mix or merge with something else, it will be impossible to maintain the state.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday, Saturday, that he prefers to open discussions on missile defense, long-range weapons, and nuclear weapons, with the participation of countries that possess them or that possess American nuclear weapons on their soil. He stated in this context that “France will maintain the privacy of its doctrine, but is ready to contribute more to European defense.”
In 2020, Macron previously put forward the idea of a European nuclear deterrent led by his country, and Germany did not accept this proposal. In 2022, Paris again called for discussions with Berlin on this issue, saying that the proposal was still under study.
After Britain’s exit from the European Union, France remains the only country that possesses nuclear weapons. According to official figures, Paris has about 300 warheads at its disposal. France uses submarine-launched ballistic missiles and air-launched tactical cruise missiles as delivery vehicles.
Source: RT
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2024-05-01 08:10:39