France is reaffirming its defense commitments within NATO amid rising Russian threats and says that its strong role in the Alliance is fully compatible with efforts to build a "coalition of the willing" aimed at preparing future security guarantees for Ukraine.
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot made the statement ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, on Friday, May 22, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
"I welcome the adoption a few days ago of the updated military programming law, with EUR 36 billion in additional defense spending between 2026 and 2030, which allows us to stay on the trajectory and commitments we made at last year's NATO summit," Barrot said.
He stressed that the current security environment requires continued solidarity within the Alliance, calling proposals by some French political figures to withdraw from NATO "completely irresponsible."
"In the world we live in, we more than ever need these solidarity mechanisms that bind us to our main partners and neighbors. From that perspective, calls by some French political figures to leave NATO are obviously unreasonable and completely irresponsible," he said.
