France would defend eastern flank borders even outside NATO, says Mélenchon
The far-left presidential candidate also criticized Germany's rearmament in an interview with POLITICO.
Paris — Far-left presidential hopeful Jean-Luc Mélenchon has voiced his intention to withdraw France from NATO, despite emphasizing that it would not entail abandoning the protection of Europe's external borders. When questioned on Thursday about removing French troops stationed in Estonia and Romania under NATO, Mélenchon dismissed the matter as irrelevant, asserting that these nations are European Union members and thus fall under the purview of European treaties.
He made this assertion during an appearance at the Playbook Paris Live summit. Mélenchon is among the frontrunners in the upcoming presidential election, slated for spring, which will determine the successor to current President Emmanuel Macron. Both he and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen advocate for France's exit from NATO, a stance that has raised concerns at NATO headquarters regarding the country's future defense policy.
Mélenchon contends that departing from NATO is a statement of national dignity, influenced by President Donald Trump's treatment of Europeans. He further criticized Germany's aggressive rearmament efforts, questioning the lack of coordination with neighboring countries and citing Germany's historical propensity for invasion. Mélenchon also proposed banning Ukraine from conducting deep strikes into Russian territory, arguing that France and Britain are becoming complicit in the conflict due to their use of Ukrainian weaponry.
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