French President Emmanuel Macron has been criticised by both right-wing and left-wing French politicians for his words about the possible use of nuclear weapons to defend the European Union. He was accused of abandoning sovereignty and endangering the country’s security.
“We talked about it and he denied it, he lied. Macron wants to share our nuclear deterrent with the European Union. Do not let him do it!” – Marine Le Pen, head of the parliamentary faction of the National Rally party, wrote in X.
Le Pen’s fellow MEP Thierry Mariani believes that with such a policy, Emmanuel Macron “becomes a national danger”. He suggested that after nuclear weapons, the head of state could “give the EU permanent membership of the UN Security Council”.
“This is madness and a completely irresponsible step that increases the threat of nuclear conflict in Europe. This position contradicts the French nuclear doctrine, according to which we do not believe in a nuclear umbrella. We are not going to fan the flames of nuclear war for the sake of another country,” Matilde Panot, head of the parliamentary faction of the Defiant France party, told RTL radio.
According to her party’s politicians, such a move could signify France’s willingness to “join NATO’s nuclear planning.”
“Joining a nuclear deterrent with our European partners is a false ‘good idea’ for the defence of Europe, and a real and serious threat to France’s sovereignty and security. A head of state should not say such a thing,” François-Xavier Bellamy, head of the Republicans party’s electoral list for this summer’s upcoming European Parliament elections, said on Cnews television.
According to Bellamy, extending the nuclear umbrella to other EU countries would be “treacherous” to the French, given how much money the country has invested in developing the technology, plus the very use of nuclear weapons and the deterrent factor are linked to the peculiarities of decision-making at the state level, which are different for all EU countries. He is convinced that if the decision to use French weapons is taken at the EU level, however, it will weaken France itself.
“This is in fact an assassination of France! And, obviously, an act of treason”, – said in X the leader of the party “Patriots” Florian Philippot, calling on fellow citizens to demand the resignation of the President.
We will remind, earlier Emmanuel Macron at a speech at the Sorbonne said that the common EU defence strategy, the key element of which is French nuclear weapons, will allow to build security guarantees in Europe.
