Mélenchon Signals Potential French Exit from NATO

(MENAFN) French political figure Jean-Luc Mélenchon has declared that Paris would withdraw from NATO if he were elected president, asserting that the alliance mainly functions to align Europe under United States influence, according to reports from LCI news channel and other French media outlets released late Friday.

“If I am president, France will leave NATO,” Mélenchon stated during an interview with LCI news channel, arguing that the military bloc “serves only one thing: placing us under the supervision of the United States.”

The founder of the France Unbowed (LFI) movement and a consistent opponent of NATO said that maintaining distance from the alliance aligns with France’s “historic line.” He positioned his stance as part of a long-standing national tradition of strategic autonomy.

Mélenchon also referenced historical decisions, noting France’s earlier exit from NATO’s integrated military command under President Charles de Gaulle. He further criticized the 2009 move by former President Nicolas Sarkozy to bring France back into the alliance’s command structure, describing it as a departure from earlier independence-oriented policy.

Outlining a gradual approach, he said, “We will proceed step by step,” adding that France would initially withdraw from NATO’s integrated command and reduce participation in joint military equipment initiatives with the United States armed forces.

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