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Manila Bulletin devider World devider French parliament to vote on Macron's Ukraine strategy

French parliament to vote on Macron's Ukraine strategy

Published Mar 12, 2024 11:54 am

PARIS, France - French President Emmanuel Macron's Ukraine strategy will be put to a symbolic vote in parliament's lower house on Tuesday as political tensions rage in the run-up to June's European Parliament elections.

Following a debate, the National Assembly lower house will hold a non-binding vote on the government's Ukraine strategy including a bilateral security agreement signed by Macron and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky last month.

While the vote will be symbolic, it will give political parties an opportunity to publicly express their positions in relation to Macron's strategy on the conflict as Russia's invasion of Ukraine stretches into its third year.

After a meeting between the president and party leaders last week, some of them said Macron's stance on Ukraine had caused concern.

With the support of the conservative Republicans party (LR), the outcome  of the vote could offer backing to Macron's strategy.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal will kick off the debate at around 4:30 pm (1530 GMT), and the vote is expected at around 8:00 pm.

The far-right National Rally (RN), which leads Macron's alliance by a wide margin ahead of the June elections, will abstain, its 28-year-old leader Jordan Bardella said on Tuesday.

Speaking to broadcaster France 2, he cited  "red lines" including the dispatch of Western ground troops, which Macron has refused to rule out, and the possibility of Ukraine's membership in NATO and the European Union.

"We need to be very careful", said Bardella. "Yes to support for Ukraine, but no to war with Russia."

In France's polarised political landscape, Russia's war against Ukraine has emerged as a major hot-button topic.

Macron has been seeking to hammer home the importance of greater support for Ukraine, which is running out of ammunition, insisting that Europe's security is at stake.

Allies of Macron at the weekend lambasted the far-right National Rally at the launch of their European election campaign, accusing them of betraying the interests of France and Europe and flirting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Senate upper house was set to hold similar debates on Wednesday.

Speaking to French broadcaster BFM TV on Monday, Zelensky said that there was no need for French ground troops in his war-torn country as long as "Ukraine holds".

"Your children are not going to die in Ukraine," he said.

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