Jacques Serais with AFP / Photo credit: XOSE BOUZAS / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP
According to government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot, the executive intends to make the parliamentary debate on Ukraine a “moment of truth” for each party. While the date of the debate is not specified, this moment will be an opportunity for each political group represented in Parliament to present their positions regarding French support for the Ukrainian people.
The executive intends to make the parliamentary debate on Ukraine, which will be followed by a vote, a “moment of truth” for each party because “it is essential that the French can know who defends whom”, indicated Wednesday the door -government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot. “This democratic moment will be an opportunity for each political group represented in Parliament to present their positions regarding French support for the Ukrainian people,” she declared, reporting from the council of ministers.
Three months before the European elections, this debate, the date of which she did not specify, “will be a moment of truth in the face of the importance of this question which fully involves the future of our continent. It is essential that the French can clearly know who thinks what, who defends whom and which side each is on,” she added.
Tense exchange of arms in the Assembly
The day after Emmanuel Macron’s statements were criticized by the opposition for not excluding the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, the Elysée announced on Tuesday that the government would, under article 50-1 of the Constitution, a declaration before Parliament “relating to the bilateral security agreement concluded with Ukraine”, followed by a debate and a vote. This security agreement, concluded on February 16, “marks our long-term support for Ukraine to thwart Russia’s war of aggression”, underlined the Élysée.
The majority intends to put support for Ukraine at the heart of its European campaign against the National Rally. On Tuesday, this question was the subject of a tense skirmish in the Assembly between Gabriel Attal and Marine Le Pen. The Prime Minister wondered “if Vladimir Putin’s troops (were) not already in our country” by targeting members of the RN while Marine Le Pen denounced a head of state “taking a further step towards belligerence.” The war in Ukraine also highlights divisions on the left, with the leader of rebellious France Jean-Luc Mélenchon ruling on Wednesday that Europe is “not threatened” by Russia, unlike the head of the socialist list Raphaël Glucksmann who calls for “massive” military aid for Ukraine.