Ukraine: an eventful debate expected in the Assembly, in the middle of the European campaign

The National Assembly decides on Tuesday on the national aid strategy. Ukraine during a debate and a symbolic vote, which should serve as a ground for clashes between Macronists, RN and LFI in the middle of the European campaign.

The Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, will kick off the debates around 4:30 p.m., before the intervention of the political groups then a vote, without binding value, expected around 8:00 p.m.

The outcome of the vote should be favorable, with the support of LR and the socialists.

Two years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Macronists hope to point out the “ambiguities” of the RN and LFI towards Russia. The vote of each group will be “interesting”, underlines the President of the Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal in Lille, March 9, 2024 © AFP – Sameer Al-Doumy

Gabriel Attal set the tone on Saturday during the presidential camp's first European campaign meeting, by increasing attacks against “the Le Pen clan”, accused of “weakness” and “softness” in the face of Vladimir Putin's Russia. 60~/p>

“These Russophilia trials” are “there to distract voters from the real issues”, sweeps away the RN Sébastien Chenu, whose party is prances in the polls, with more about ten points ahead of Macronist candidate Valérie Hayer.

Cautiously, Marine Le Pen's group will “abstain” during the vote, announced its president Jordan Bardella, evoking “red lines” including the sending of ground troops and the possible membership of Ukraine in NATO and the European Union.

“Abstention is a form of ambiguity. We can clearly see that in this debate the RN is embarrassed”, reacted on Sud Radio the boss of LR Eric Ciotti for whom “we must be alongside the Ukrainians”.

– “War camp” –

In his declaration, the head of government must present the Franco-Ukrainian security agreement of February 16. Concluded for a period of ten years, it includes a strengthening of military cooperation, particularly in the areas of artillery and air defense.

In 2024, Paris promises to provide “up to three billion euros of additional support”, funding that the opposition could question while the government has just announced a series of budget cuts.

President Emmanuel Macron (d) and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, February 16, 2024 in Paris © POOL – Thibault Camus

“Our security has a price,” replies Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu in Le Parisien. “These three billion are not a check to Ukraine. They correspond to the maximum value of our military aid in 2024, in particular to orders placed with our French defense industries. The French economy will therefore benefit from it,” insists he.

Three months before the June 9 election, aid to Ukraine has become one of the key themes of the European campaign, particularly since the exits of Emmanuel Macron who does not rule out sending ground troops and does not want to put “any limits” on support for Kiev, under the protests of the oppositions.

If he is in favor of “helping Ukraine to defend itself”, LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard will propose to his group to vote against the security agreement because “we are opposed to France being the leader of the war camp”.

The possibility of Ukraine joining the EU and NATO is also one of the “red lines” of the Insoumis.

Same speech among the communists. For his national secretary Fabien Roussel, the mention of Ukraine's entry into NATO is a “provocation”.

The division is on the left . “You really think that NATO is an aggressor of Russia ? The pacifists are in the west, but the missiles are in the east,” said Olivier Faure on France info to the Insoumis and the communists.

Very committed to supporting Ukraine, the head of the PS list for the European elections, Raphaël Glucksmann, considers the “debate useful” to “clarify the lines of each other” and calls on “all those who are attached to democracy and the security of Europe to vote for this agreement”.

After the Assembly, a similar debate will be held in the Senate on Wednesday.

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