Le Pen has postponed France's withdrawal from NATO's military command
Marine Le Pen, leader of the French party “National Rally,” stated that France will not withdraw from NATO’s integrated military command while Russia’s war against Ukraine continues. At the same time, she emphasized that her desire to withdraw the country from this structure in the future remains.
Le Pen also reiterated her position on Ukraine: if she comes to power, she wants to halt financial aid to Kyiv but is willing to consider providing military support and training to Ukrainian troops.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the French National Rally party, stated that she currently has no plans to seek France’s withdrawal from NATO’s integrated military command. According to Le Pen, as long as Russia’s war against Ukraine continues near Europe’s borders, France should not take such a step. “As long as a war is raging on Europe’s doorstep, now is not the time to take steps in that direction, but, of course, my desire to do so remains,” the politician said.
This refers specifically to NATO’s integrated military command, not to France’s automatic withdrawal from the Alliance itself. France remains a member of NATO, and Le Pen advocates for the country to withdraw from the Alliance’s joint military structure in the future. The issue of NATO has long been part of the “National Rally” party’s foreign policy platform. Le Pen previously stated that, if she came to power, she would withdraw France from the integrated command during her first presidential term.
Her latest statement differs in that she now links the possibility of such a move to the end of the war in Ukraine. In May, Le Pen spoke of withdrawing from the military command structure without making it contingent on the war. At the same time, Le Pen’s position on aid to Ukraine remains more hardline. She reiterated that, in her view, France should not continue to provide financial support to Ukraine in its current form. “We can train their soldiers and military leadership, as well as provide them with military aid. We can no longer provide financial aid to Ukraine, and we regret that,” Le Pen stated.
However, she did not oppose France’s participation in the “Coalition of the Willing.” This is a group of countries led by France and the United Kingdom. Among other things, it is discussing the possibility of deploying military contingents to Ukraine after the war ends.
Le Pen stated that a potential peacekeeping mission might be acceptable to her. “Potential peacekeeping forces, which are in fact very similar to UN peacekeepers, seem entirely realistic to me. And if the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ is one of the conditions for ceasefire negotiations, then I would, of course, be in favor of moving forward with this proposal,” the politician said.
Another of her positions directly concerns a possible confrontation with Russia. Le Pen stated that France should not go to war with Russia, which possesses nuclear weapons. At the same time, she disagreed with the assertion that France is already in conflict with Moscow. She expressed this position despite accusations that Russia is carrying out hybrid attacks against European countries.
Politico also highlights the political context of Le Pen’s statements. Her party has long advocated for a change in France’s relationship with NATO and a reduction in the country’s participation in the Alliance’s military structures. At the same time, the National Rally’s stance on the war and Russia has shifted in recent years. Le Pen and party leader Jordan Bardella have been trying to project a tougher stance toward Russian aggression. Last week, they issued a statement condemning Russia.
As Politico notes, this comes amid criticism from political opponents. Le Pen and her party have previously been frequently accused of being overly sympathetic toward Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the same time, Le Pen and Bardella continue to advocate for an end to financial aid to Ukraine. Their positions on military aid differ: Le Pen supports training Ukrainian troops and supplying weapons.
Thus, Le Pen’s latest statement does not mean she is abandoning her plan to change France’s participation in NATO’s military structures. She merely stated that she does not consider the current situation—with the war in Ukraine underway—to be the right time for such a move. She made these remarks in an interview with Politico on September 24.
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