French legislators back Ukraine pact following divisive debate

French legislators on Tuesday backed a security accord with Ukraine, after a debate that showed deep divisions over President Emmanuel Macron’s policy towards Kyiv.

The 10-year security pact with Ukraine includes commitments by Paris to deliver more arms, train soldiers and send up to €3 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2024.

Mr Macron has also adopted a tougher stance towards Russia, urging Ukraine’s allies to urgently do more. He also did not rule out the presence of western troops in Ukraine which has created a backlash among some.

Ukrainian officials had said they were worried that a vote not overwhelmingly in favour of Kyiv would be negative symbolically and could hurt Mr Macron’s efforts to increase his country’s support in the coming months.

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Legislators eventually backed the pact by a wide margin, with 372 votes in favour and 99 against, while 101 abstained. But that was after a tense debate.

[ Macron pushes far right to show its colours on Ukraine ]

“You want to pretend that one is either pro-Macron or pro-Putin ... this is despicable,” far-right leader Marine Le Pen told parliament.

While the detail of the vote was not immediately known, her National Rally (RN) party had said it would abstain and the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) said it would vote against the pact.

Mr Macron has pushed for the vote in a bid to try to cast the far right and far left as being weak on Russia in advance of European parliamentary elections in June, which polls have long forecast the RN would largely win in France, analysts said.

“To abstain is to flee one’s responsibilities in the face of history,” prime minister Gabriel Attal told parliament. Voting against, he said before the vote, would help Russian president Vladimir Putin.

But Mr Macron has long warned against humiliating Russia, and his new stance has raised eyebrows.

“For Macron turning his party into the be-prepared-for-war party is a risky bet,” EuroIntelligence analysts said in a note.

A survey from pollster Elabe on Sunday showed a drop in French public opinion support for financial and military aid for Ukraine. Some 52 per cent said they favoured a role for non-combat French troops in Ukraine but 79 per cent opposed sending combat troops. – Reuters

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