The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron was accused Thursday of "blowing on the embers" of the war by oppositions from both the right and the left, following his televised speech on the war in Ukraine.
While recalling that he did not wish to send troops to the war in Ukraine, he still stressed that he was “ready to respond” to “Russian escalation”.
“Does he want to wage war on Russia or occupy the political space in the middle of the European campaign,” asked Éric Ciotti, head of the Republicans.
Three months before the election: “Support Ukraine, yes.
Blowing on the embers of a potential global conflict for electoral purposes, no,” he adds.
Ukraine “suddenly becomes an object of communication for the president”, also deplores François-Xavier Bellamy, head of the LR list for the Europeans, “no new fact motivated this intervention: it is therefore primarily a question of internal politics .
»
After this new declaration from E. Macron, I wonder:
Does he want to wage war on Russia or occupy the political space in the middle of the European campaign?
Support Ukraine, yes.
Blowing on the embers of a potential global conflict for electoral purposes, no!!
— Eric Ciotti (@ECiotti) March 14, 2024
On the same note, the president of the National Rally Jordan Bardella estimated that “by speaking without a specific aim, Emmanuel Macron is in fact using the painful subject of the war in Ukraine for internal political purposes, in the middle of an election”.
“This form of lightness, irresponsibility and cynicism is enough to worry the French,” he continued.
“The president is scary”
For his part, the leader of the Insoumis Jean-Luc Mélenchon warned: “If we fuel the war, we end up making it ourselves.
Those who want peace prepare peace.
He doesn't.
» “The president is scary,” he adds, pointing to the declarations of the head of state on a possible entry into war in the future.
“If the situation were to deteriorate, we must be ready and we will be ready,” declared Emmanuel Macron on Thursday evening, who had already caused trouble at the end of February by not ruling out sending ground troops to Ukraine.
The President is scary.
He knows that if you sit down, you end up getting up.
And if we fuel the war, we end up making it ourselves.
Those who want peace prepare peace.
He doesn't.
— Jean-Luc Mélenchon (@JLMelenchon) March 14, 2024
Emmanuel Macron “did not realize the irresponsibility of his declarations which profoundly isolated the words of France”, rebellious MP Manuel Bompard comments on X.
The French president “is persisting in a go-to-war posture in disregard of the risks of escalation towards generalized nuclear war.
We miss the France of peace.
»
“Macron did not reassure.
In reality, France is diplomatically isolated,” said the head of the Ecologists Marine Tondelier.
The boss of the communists, Fabien Roussel, castigated the “irresponsibility and cynicism” of Emmanuel Macron, “pushed to their paroxysm”, while he would be “ready to declare war on Russia” to “hide its failure in France.
#Macron did not reassure.
In reality France is diplomatically isolated.
Our effort must focus on:
➡️Europe of defense
➡️active aid to the victory of the Ukrainians
➡️the seizure of Russian assets and the EFFECTIVE end of imports which finance their war effort pic.twitter.com/1Nws7u3CVS
— Marine Tondelier (@marinetondelier) March 14, 2024
“We have the impression that Emmanuel Macron is playing war like Playmobil,” quipped the head of the Reconquest list!
to the Europeans Marion Maréchal, during the debate on Public Senate between the heads of the list for the European elections.