French far-right leader opposes transfer of long-range weapons to Ukraine

French far-right leader Jordan Bardella said on Wednesday that he supports Ukraine's right to defend itself against Russian aggression. However, he added that if he was elected prime minister, he would not support the transfer of missiles to Kyiv that would let it strike targets on the Russian territory. Source: Bardella at the Eurosatory arms fair near Paris, as quoted by Reuters; European Pravda

Details: Bardella's National Union party is leading in opinion polls ahead of the 30 June and 7 July snap parliamentary elections.

Quote: "I wish for Ukraine to have at [its] disposal the ammunition and equipment it needs to hold the front, but my red line will not change, which is sending equipment that could have consequences of escalation in eastern Europe. And so I don't plan to send, especially, long-range missiles or other weapons that will allow Ukraine to strike Russian territory. My position has not changed and will not change - it's about support for Ukraine and avoiding all risks of escalation in the region.

And I think the risk of escalation is, of course, real." Details: Meanwhile, even if the National Rally leads the French government, Emmanuel Macron will remain president and superior commander of the French army. France is currently providing Ukraine with long-range SCALP missiles.

At the same time, the French constitution also gives the prime minister a role in defence matters, although the division of powers is not clear.

If the National Rally wins the election, Macron will lose control of the domestic agenda, including the matters of economic policy, security, immigration and finance, which in turn will affect other policies such as aid to Ukraine, as he will need the support of parliament to fund any aid within the French annual budget. Bardella also said that he would honour France's commitments to its partners, including the increasing defence spending. Quote: "I don't plan to put into question the commitments made by France on the international level, because there's a stake regarding credibility towards our European partners as well as towards our NATO allies.

And so I plan to pursue the efforts of rearmament of the country, both in terms of its defence capabilities, increasing the military budget through budgetary efforts put in place in past years, which we have supported." 

Background:

• Recently, the French far-right National Rally party removed part of its defence programme from its website, abandoning the sections that suggested deepening ties with Russia, ending cooperation projects with Germany, and withdrawing from NATO's Joint Military Command.
• The formal leader of the National Rally in France, Jordan Bardella, said that he only wanted to lead a potential right-wing government if it won an absolute majority of seats, so as not to "collaborate with Macron".

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