Le Pen says she would pull France from alliance’s military command
French far-right party leader Marine Le Pen (Photo: REUTERS/Manon Cruz)
France should leave NATO’s integrated military command while remaining in the alliance, French far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen said, Reuters reported on May 22.
“We must leave NATO’s integrated command. We must remain in NATO, but leaving the command would not prevent cooperation with allied forces,” Le Pen said, criticizing what she described as Europe’s dependence on U.S. decisions.
“In reality, we depend on the decisions of Donald Trump, which is regrettable,” she added.
Le Pen’s remarks were criticized by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who called such proposals “unfounded and completely irresponsible” during a NATO meeting in Sweden.
NATO’s integrated military command is the alliance’s permanent command structure designed to ensure rapid coordination among the armed forces of its 32 member states as a single force.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 1 that he was seriously considering pulling the United States out of NATO after allies refused to join his war against Iran.
Trump said on April 6 that his hostility toward NATO began after Europe refused to yield to his pressure and agree to let the United States acquire Greenland, part of Denmark.
After meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on April 9, Trump criticized allies, saying NATO member states had failed to support the United States when Washington needed them and expressing doubt about whether they would help in the future.
French President Emmanuel Macron defended NATO’s values, warning that repeated comments questioning U.S. commitment to the alliance “undermine its very essence” and urging leaders to “be serious.”
Macron stressed that all signatories to the North Atlantic Treaty joined the alliance and should not comment on everything happening in the world, but simply stand by one another when an ally needs support.
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