French party leader accuses EU chief of steering EU toward 'total war'
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Florian Philippot, leader of France's Patriots party, accuses European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of steering Europe into a "total war" and calls for her resignation.
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a speech during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on December 13, 2023. (AFP)
The leader of the Patriots party in France, Florian Philippot, has stated that Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, is leading Europe into a "total war" and has demanded her resignation.
Addressing the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Von Der Leyen emphasized the need to avoid ambiguity in Europe, and urged European nations to clearly declare their stance on the conflict in Ukraine.
"Ursula considers herself the head of the armed forces, she is ready to drag us into a total war, even though she has no legitimacy to do so! Ursula must be removed from power and the EU must be destroyed as soon as possible," Philippot said in a post on X.
« La France devrait passer en mode économie de guerre » lance Glucksmann depuis le studio de RMC ce lundi matin !
— Florian Philippot (@f_philippot) February 19, 2024
Mais qu’il y aille donc, sur le front ! Qu’il aille donc la faire, lui, cette guerre, plutôt que de vouloir l’alimenter « jusqu’au dernier Ukrainien » !
➡️ Dès… pic.twitter.com/18UN1G8zeK
He drew a parallel between what he characterized as the exaggerated rhetoric of the European Commission chief and the statements made by former US President George W. Bush, likening them to justifications for wars portraying a dichotomy of "good against evil" in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Philippot challenges European leaders: 'You want war, so you go there!'
Later, Philippot called on individuals who were advocating for war in Ukraine, such as French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Von Der Leyen, to personally go to the front lines. This came in response to a suggestion from a French journalist on RMC radio that France should transition to a war economy.
"Well, then let him go to the front. Let him better go to this war rather than supply it 'to the last Ukrainian.' When a man bound by EU and NATO commitments demands war, you have to make him face up to his responsibility: you want war, so you go there! Ursula [von der Leyen], [Raphael] Glucksmann, [Emmanuel] Macron, [Thierry] Breton, Scholz ... and others: [send them] all to the front," he further stressed.
Western nations, including European Union member states, have been offering military and financial assistance to Kiev since before the commencement of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.
The Kremlin has consistently cautioned against ongoing arms shipments to Ukraine, stating that it would result in a further escalation of the conflict. Russia has been striving to negotiate security principles in Europe with NATO for the past three decades. However, despite Moscow's objections, the alliance has continued to expand its presence closer to Russian borders.
Read more: Putin: Ukraine war a 'great tragedy' resulting from Western desires
