Should France continue to help Ukraine without “any limit”, as Emmanuel Macron maintains? The question exacerbates political divisions, especially since the President of the Republic decided to increase his rhetoric against Moscow. The deputies will vote, this Tuesday, March 12, on the security agreement signed in February by kyiv and Paris, a debate which promises to be flammable, and which will be followed by a symbolic vote, without binding value.
Three months before the European elections, this debate in the National Assembly on the French aid strategy for Ukraine, organized in application of article 50-1 of the Constitution, will above all serve as a confrontation between Macronists, RN and LFI. Several political leaders have already denounced the exploitation of the Ukrainian question for electoral purposes. “Exploiting the conflict in Ukraine for the French European elections is shameful, unworthy and pitiful!”, wrote in particular on (ex-Twitter) the president of the Republicans (LR), Eric Ciotti.
“These Russophilia trials are beside the point of reality and are there to distract voters from the real issues”, for his part estimated the vice-president of the RN Sébastien Chenu on France 3. The RN deputies will “determine themselves according to the speech by Gabriel Attal” from which they await “clarifications”, explained Sébastien Chenu. “We have red lines which would probably prevent us from voting”: “Ukraine’s accession to the European Union”, and “no troops on the ground”, he listed. Same “red lines” exposed on RTL by LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard, opposed to an agreement “which contains within it the prospect of Ukraine’s accession to NATO” and the EU.
The divided left
Asked about Europe 1 and Cnews, the national secretary of the PCF Fabien Roussel also affirmed that his group would vote against “if the Prime Minister’s speech takes up the elements found in the treaty”. The mention of Ukraine’s entry into NATO is a “provocation”, he said, accusing the presidential camp of becoming “the party of war”.
Contrary to these positions, the head of the PS list for the European elections, Raphaël Glucksmann, welcomed In The Parisian a “useful debate” which will “clarify the lines of each party”, and called on “all those who are attached to democracy and the security of Europe to vote for this agreement”. RN and LFI will “pay for their ambiguities” on Vladimir Putin’s Russia, a Renaissance executive wants to believe. “Either the vote will be very close because LFI and the RN will vote against. Or the vote will be very broad because the same people will abstain,” he predicts.
“Give strength to the President of the Republic”
Questioned on France 3, the President (Renaissance) of the Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet hoped for a favorable vote to “give strength to the President of the Republic”. “We are not voting on an agreement” but on “a government declaration” which must be “global”, she stressed. But the oppositions, beyond the RN and LFI, are particularly inflamed by the recent outings of President Macron, who does not rule out sending ground troops to Ukraine and wants “no limits” in support for Kiev .
An “irresponsible” posture, judge their representatives who left angrily after their meeting with the Head of State on the subject last Thursday. Vladimir Putin, “what message did he hear from the West? Red lines above all”, replied the head of the presidential majority list for the European elections, Valérie Hayer, on Sunday on LCI. However, “I think it is very important to send a very clear message to Vladimir Putin: we, France, we, the Europeans, will help Ukraine until the end,” she argued.
The Franco-Ukrainian agreement, concluded for a period of ten years, includes a strengthening of military cooperation, particularly in the areas of artillery and air defense. In 2024, Paris promises to provide “up to 3 billion euros of additional support”, funding that oppositions could question as the government has just announced a series of budget cuts. After the Assembly, a similar debate will be held in the Senate this Wednesday.