Without commenting on the election results, the head of US diplomacy is confident that European allies will not change their position on supporting Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday he expects European allies to continue to strongly support NATO following the far-right victory in the first round of French parliamentary elections.
Asked about the electoral success of the Rassemblement National (National Union, in French) on Sunday in the first round of the French legislature, Blinken refrained from making direct comments on the vote but spoke of the strengthening of NATO since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“I don’t think this will change, whatever the current policy in Europe,” the head of US diplomacy said.
The far-right National Union party of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, traditionally reserved towards NATO, won the first round of the legislative elections in France with a historic result of 33.4% of the votes, ahead of the New Popular Front, a coalition bringing together left-wing parties (27.99%), and the political bloc of French President Emmanuel Macron (20.04%).
União Nacional in the lead with 33.15% and Renascença in decline. The results of a historic night with the highest turnout in recent decades
Without commenting on the election results, Blinken focused his response on the assurance that European allies should not change their positions on supporting Ukraine in its resistance to the Russian invasion.
“The alliance is mobilizing to ensure that we have adequate defenses across the alliance, where they are needed, where they are important,” Blinken said in a speech at the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington.
“This has been a clear trajectory for three and a half years. I don’t think this will change, no matter what the current policy in Europe is.“Blinken reinforced.
“We have very strong allies, very strong partners,” added the head of American diplomacy, citing in particular the case of Italy, a country led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who heads a far-right coalition government.
Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, NATO has welcomed two new members, Finland and Sweden, bringing its total number of member states to 32. NATO will host a summit in Washington next week, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Atlantic Alliance.
Source: Observadora
