French presidential candidate Mélenchon has promised to withdraw from NATO, saying the alliance’s function is only to consolidate American dominance over Europe.
Publish dateSunday 10 May 2026 - 08:43
Story Code : 354062
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who announced his candidacy for next year’s French presidential election on May 3, told French news channel LCI that if he becomes president, Paris will withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, arguing that the alliance serves only one purpose: to place Europe under American influence and supervision.
The founder of the “France Invincible” (LFI) movement and a long-time critic of NATO, said that maintaining distance from the treaty is part of France’s “historical line.”
He also referred to France’s withdrawal from NATO’s integrated military command structure under Charles de Gaulle and criticized former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s decision in 2009 to return France to the alliance’s command structure.
“We will move forward step by step,” Mélenchon said, adding that France would first withdraw from NATO’s unified command and distance itself from joint military equipment programs with the U.S. military.
His comments come amid growing debate in Europe about defense independence, military spending and the continent’s dependence on U.S. security guarantees after geopolitical tensions escalated following the U.S. war on Iran.
Following Trump’s recent decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Germany, Poland’s prime minister warned of the disintegration of the NATO alliance.
The founder of the “France Invincible” (LFI) movement and a long-time critic of NATO, said that maintaining distance from the treaty is part of France’s “historical line.”
He also referred to France’s withdrawal from NATO’s integrated military command structure under Charles de Gaulle and criticized former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s decision in 2009 to return France to the alliance’s command structure.
“We will move forward step by step,” Mélenchon said, adding that France would first withdraw from NATO’s unified command and distance itself from joint military equipment programs with the U.S. military.
His comments come amid growing debate in Europe about defense independence, military spending and the continent’s dependence on U.S. security guarantees after geopolitical tensions escalated following the U.S. war on Iran.
Following Trump’s recent decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Germany, Poland’s prime minister warned of the disintegration of the NATO alliance.
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