Newsletters
French leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said Friday that France would leave NATO if he becomes president, arguing that the alliance primarily serves to place Europe under U.S. influence.
“If I am president, France will leave NATO,” Melenchon told French broadcaster LCI, according to local media reports.
“The alliance serves only one thing: placing us under the supervision of the United States,” he said.
Melenchon, founder of the La France Insoumise (LFI) movement and a longtime NATO critic, said distancing France from the alliance was in line with the country’s “historic line.”
He referenced former French President Charles de Gaulle’s decision to withdraw France from NATO’s integrated military command structure and criticized former President Nicolas Sarkozy for reintegrating the country into the command in 2009.
“We will proceed step by step,” Melenchon said, explaining that France would first leave NATO’s integrated command and gradually distance itself from joint military equipment programs with the U.S. military.
His comments come amid intensifying debate across Europe over defense autonomy, military spending, and reliance on U.S. security guarantees following heightened geopolitical tensions.
Melenchon officially announced his presidential candidacy on May 3.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
