Fear of a French 'withdrawal' from NATO is growing as the far-right looks set to take a large number of seats in the country's upcoming elections, Euractiv has reported, citing several anonymous diplomats. The sources cite a possible pullback of support for Ukraine as being of high concern, the outlet has reported.
The French right-wing National Rally (RN), which has repeatedly questioned the purpose of NATO and its aid to Ukraine, came out on top in the first round of France’s snap election, securing 33% of the vote. President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble bloc only came in third with 20%, despite the French president calling the snap election following his party's trouncing by RN in EU parliamennt elections.
The second round of the French vote is slated for July 7, with the RN projected to win up to 280 seats in the National Assembly.
On Thursday, Euractiv quoted unnamed diplomats as saying the RN’s repeated criticisms of Macron’s foreign policy, particularly military aid to Ukraine, were concerning a number of leading NATO allies.
Even if the RN ends up in opposition, the party will likely still wield considerable clout in the French Parliament, the outlet noted.
A Euractiv source claimed that under new leadership Paris could opt for a “soft exit” from NATO by leaving the bloc’s military command – a move that has precedent in French history.
In 1966, then President Charles de Gaulle withdrew Paris from the NATO's integrated military command, despite France being one of the 12 founding members of the military bloc. The decision was only officially reversed in 2009.
The RN could push for a “soft and subtle” exit in which France would simply send less qualified troops in smaller numbers to participate in NATO joint missions, military expert Michel Duclos told Euractiv. The outlet also stressed that France plays an outsized role within the organization, significantly affecting NATO’s long-term strategy.
Marine Le Pen, the former long-time RN leader, who currently heads the party’s faction in parliament, has on multiple occasions criticized President Macron’s position on the Ukraine conflict. She has repeatedly stated that the national leadership is risking dragging France into a war with Russia. The party has also promoted dialogue with Russia on key shared interests.
However, the RN’s current leader Jordan Bardella has displayed a softer stance toward the bloc, saying on Friday that “there will be no exit from NATO integrated military command while the war is on.”