“If Ukraine loses, we lose too”: Gabriel Attal defended the aid strategy for Ukraine on Tuesday before the deputies, who mainly supported it with 372 votes for, 99 against. According to the Prime Minister, the collapse of Ukraine would have “concrete risks” for the daily lives of the French, a “cataclysm for their purchasing power”. For Sébastien Chenu, vice-president of the National Assembly, guest of La Grande interview Europe 1-CNews on Wednesday, the consequences are already present.
“Sending troops would be cataclysmic”
“We already have the consequences. The agricultural crisis that we are experiencing, the energy crisis that the French are experiencing, these are the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine. So, I don’t know what else Gabriel Attal imagines apart from idea of sending troops [ce] which would be cataclysmic. With Marine Le Pen, we thought it was time to put limits on this limitless president,” he declared on Europe 1.
Ukraine’s accession to the EU, “a red line”
Another subject of tension is the potential accession of kyiv to the European Union (EU). In June 2022, the EU granted Ukraine candidate status, a highly symbolic gesture, a few months after the start of the Russian invasion. At the beginning of March, the European Commission announced that it would present, within the month, to the Member States the framework for negotiations with a view to this accession. For Sébastien Chenu, this is a “red line”.
“There are red lines like Ukraine’s accession to the European Union because it is the immediate ruin of entire sections of our economy. Do we have to shoot ourselves in the foot by accepting Ukraine’s accession to the European Union”, he questioned, referring to the consequences for French agriculture. According to an informal European study revealed by the Financial Timescited by our colleagues from EchoesUkraine’s entry into the EU would allow kyiv to reap the tidy sum of 186 billion euros over seven years, the current budget which covers the period 2021-2027.
Another red line for the RN deputy from the North, Ukraine’s accession to NATO. “It poses a military problem because it is a provocation towards Russia. Putin will never accept seeing soldiers at the gates of his country,” he assured. If he were in power, Sébastien Chenu assures him, he would have offered to support Ukraine differently. He thus evokes the reception of Ukrainians in France, humanitarian and medical aid. “Let’s take peace initiatives,” concluded the vice-president of the National Rally.