To rely on the sovereignty of the European Union, France must change its foreign policy, move closer to the positions of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, finally abandon the role of “balance of power” for Moscow and significantly strengthen support military to Ukraine. .
This was stated by a group of French researchers and analysts in an open letter published in the newspaper The world newspaper, RFI messages.
The exact outcome of the Russo-Ukrainian war is not yet clear, but the characteristics of post-war Europe are already beginning to emerge, note the six signatories: French researchers and representatives of the analysis centers.
The “center of gravity” is likely to shift east. According to this timeline, the influence of France could be considerably weakened. The letter states that “the traditional French position of ‘balancing power’ and dialogue with Moscow has lost credibility within NATO, which has been reborn”.
The tightening of France’s position against the Kremlin and support for Ukraine’s candidacy for EU membership are “steps in the right direction”, but “France must now renounce the illusory will to play the role of balancer “before Russia, which does not listen to and respects this obsolete position. France must move closer to the positions of its allies in Central, Northern and Eastern Europe, who have shown an in-depth view of Russia”, say the experts.
“Now the French message is still weakening, there is a desire among our politicians and political elites to bring France back as a ‘balancing force’ – when the president says ‘there is no need to humiliate Russia’ , it is necessary to reach peace as soon as possible, even if, he adds, Ukraine must decide under what conditions and when to make peace. Arthur Königsberg, one of the signatories of the open letter, is the president of Euro Créative, a French think tank specializing in Central and Eastern Europe.
“We believe that France should stop seeking ‘balancer’ status, in the context of this war, France cannot be. It is a European country and must be on the side of its partners in the European Union and NATO allies from part of Ukraine “– confirmed in the RFI comment.
To be able to count on European leadership, France should be among the main suppliers of military aid to Ukraine, the signatories note.
“France, as the greatest military power in continental Europe, must act as its best ally”, They say.
It’s different for now. According to data from the Kiel Institute of World Economics (Germany), in early October France occupied 13th place in the list of countries providing military aid to Ukraine, behind the Czech Republic, Latvia and Estonia, not to mention of Great Britain. . and Poland.
Emmanuel Macron said during recent talks between the presidents of France and Ukraine that France will increase military aid to Ukraine “as soon as possible”, especially in the air defense area, in light of the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian energy system. .
The signatories of the open letter propose, first of all, to increase the special fund created in France for military support to Ukraine from 100 million to 4 billion euros. As Emmanuel Macron said, it is money that Ukraine can use to buy weapons “directly from our producers”.
“4 billion euros sounds like a budget and a huge amount. However, given the importance of the objectives, increasing French military support for Ukraine is so far quite achievable. France can open a credit line of 4-5 billion euros with our industrialists, so that the Ukrainians can repay the money for 20 years “. Notes by Arthur Königsberg.
Second, the French researchers suggest diversifying the range of weapons France supplies to Ukraine by expanding it to include tanks and military aircraft.
“Of course, this will require several months of training for Ukrainian crews. Worse still, we will have to take weapons from our under-resourced armies. But instead of accumulating an arsenal in the event of a major confrontation, it is in our interest to move something, to weaken the main potential opponent.“ You read the open letter.
“Such a step would improve the protection of civilians in Ukraine and help change the situation on the battlefield. France will become the first country to supply Western tanks and aircraft: this will long improve its image and influence in Central, Northern and Eastern Europe. The authors of the letter add.
