On the subject of the war in Ukraine and in the context of the recent Munich conference, Hubert Védrine, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Jean-Pierre Chevènement, former Minister, notably of Defense, published a joint declaration on Wednesday. “Faced with the development of the crisis due to the invasion of Ukraine and recent threats”, the two figures of the presidency of François Mitterrand demand “a political debate on the merits” and warn against “a spiral that we don’t control it.”
For the two former ministers, it is up to Parliament to “take action” to initiate such a debate. Védrine and Chevènement cite in particular the agreement signed between France and Ukraine last Friday, and the appearance of a public debate on the “Europeanization of nuclear deterrence”, which appeared in particular in the discussions at the Munich conference. . “It’s a matter of democracy,” they emphasize. France must “make important decisions”, and is facing “deadlines which will be difficult”, they warn.
Hubert Védrine and Jean-Pierre Chevènement are also concerned about Donald Trump’s recent statements on NATO. He declared on February 10 that, if he were elected, NATO would not protect an allied country which did not respect the directives on defense spending. “No, I won’t protect you. In fact, I would encourage Russia to do what it wants. You have to pay,” he said. A declaration which would call into question a fundamental article of the Atlantic Alliance, Article 5, which stipulates that “all member states must come to the aid of a country under attack”. “[European States] must measure the scope of such decisions,” warn Chevènement and Védrine.
On February 1, European leaders agreed on new aid of 50 billion euros granted to Ukraine, but American aid of 60 billion dollars is still blocked in Congress. This uncertain outlook adds to the bogging down of forces on the military front and the weariness of public opinion. A recent survey by the European Council on International Relations (ECFR) and Ifop shows the pessimism of Europeans about the outcome of the war. A recent poll by the weekly La Tribune on February 17, however, shows that the majority of French people say they are still in favor of continuing aid to kyiv.
