France is “not against” Ukraine joining NATO, but this issue will depend on the new administration in the United States, said French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu. “Everything depends on the administration that will be in the White House.
France, in principle, is not against this (Ukraine’s accession to NATO – ed.),” the minister said in an interview with Tribune Dimanche, also adding that “we must find means to achieve lasting peace.”
At the same time, according to him, “whatever the result of the elections on November 5, the US administration will be more focused on the Asia-Pacific region and the Chinese issue.”
Lecornu noted that if Donald Trump comes to power in the United States, the amount of US funding for NATO will be revised. "This calls into question the division of contributions to NATO. And Europeans should have no illusions about this. The model that requires American taxpayers to pay to guarantee the safety of citizens of Romania or the Baltic countries has exhausted itself," the minister said.
Earlier, Benjamin Haddad, Minister-Delegate for European Affairs at the French Foreign Ministry, said that France is trying to convince its partners of the need to invite Ukraine to NATO now.
The Russian Federation has repeatedly stated that it was Kyiv’s orientation toward the alliance that became one of the reasons for the start of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine.
Russia believes that arms supplies to Ukraine interfere with the settlement, directly involve NATO countries in the conflict and are “playing with fire.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. According to him, the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict, including not only by supplying weapons, but also by training personnel in Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and other countries. The Kremlin stated that pumping Ukraine up with weapons from the West does not contribute to negotiations and will have a negative effect.
