Le Pen vows to block Macron from sending troops to Ukraine

As president Emmanuel Macron is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces, something Marine Le Pen says is an 'honorary title' - AFP/Ludovic Marin

Marine Le Pen has promised to overrule Emmanuel Macron on sending troops to Ukraine should her National Rally (RN) party form a government after the upcoming elections.

She claims the French president’s role as commander-in-chief of the armed forces “is an honorary title” and that her choice of future prime minister will supersede his defence and foreign policies.

In particular, Ms Le Pen views direct intervention in the Russia-Ukraine war – something Mr Macron has frequently raised – as a non-starter.

In a forthright interview in Thursday’s Le Télégramme, Ms Le Pen said: “Chief of the armed forces, for the president, is an honorary title since it is the prime minister who holds the purse strings.”

Jordan Bardella, Ms Le Pen’s prodigy, is the the National Rally (NR) choice to become prime minister if the party gets an absolute majority in parliamentary elections that start this weekend.

Ms Le Pen says: “Jordan has no intention of picking a fight with [Mr Macron], but he has set red lines. On Ukraine, the president will not be able to send troops.”

Marine Le Pen insists her likely prime minister will be the one to decide whether soldiers are sent to Ukraine, not Emmanuel Macron - FRAT

Such words provide an insight into the tensions that will arise with cohabitation – a lame duck French president having to select a prime minister from a parliament dominated by opposition MPs.

“I think we will have an absolute majority,” says Ms Le Pen, pointing to opinion polls that put the NR on up to 36 per cent of the popular vote, compared to Mr Macron’s presidential coalition on just under 20 per cent.

Discussing the workings of the French Republic, Ms Le Pen says: “The constitution is pretty clear on everything.

“On the choice of prime minister, the president understands that he had little choice – Jordan Bardella draws his legitimacy directly from the French.

“Furthermore, since Emmanuel Macron is not running for office, his situation will not be very comfortable. I won’t predict anything, because I don’t know what his reaction will be. Given his pride, will he put up with it for long?”

Last month, Mr Macron said the possibility of sending soldiers to Ukraine would arise if Russian forces looked like they were well on the way to victory.

“I’m not ruling anything out, because we are facing someone who is not ruling anything out,” the president said.

He added: “I have a clear strategic objective: Russia cannot win in Ukraine”.

Mr Macron, seen here with Volodymyr Zelensky, has refused to rule out sending French troops to Ukraine if it looks as though Russia is getting the upper hand - AP/Yoan Valat

Ms Le Pen remains the de facto leader of the RN, but wants to leave the job of prime minister to Mr Bardella, while focusing on replacing Mr Macron in 2027 to become president herself.

Despite such ambitions, Ms Le Pen’s latest pronouncements appear to have misinterpreted the constitution of the Fifth Republic.

In fact, article 15 clearly states: “The President of the Republic shall be Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. He shall preside over the higher national defence councils and committees.”

Ms Le Pen’s claim about the president of France only being an “honorary” commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces was dismissed as provably untrue by Mr Macron’s Armed Forces minister.

Sébastien Lecornu said: “The Constitution is not honorary”.

He quoted a speech by Gen Charles de Gaulle, who became President after the Fifth Republic was created in 1958.

Gen de Gaulle said: “In the essential areas of foreign policy and national security, he [the President] is required to take direct action, since under the Constitution, he negotiates and concludes treaties, since he is the head of the Armed Forces, since he presides over defence”.

President of France is one of the most powerful executive positions on earth, and it also comes with full control of the country’s nuclear arsenal.

It also allows an incumbent to bypass parliament completely, so as to rule by presidential decree.

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