In brief
French presidential hopeful Jean‑Luc Melenchon announced a plan to phase France out of NATO and oppose the U.S. requirement that the country spend 5 % of its GDP on defense. He stresses that aid to Ukraine will continue and the conflict must be settled diplomatically. A recent poll shows strong public opposition to the candidate despite his platform.
Jean‑Luc Melenchon, the left‑wing France Unbowed candidate for France’s 2027 presidential election, announced on Tuesday that he will call for a phased withdrawal from NATO and reject the U.S. demand that France devote 5 % of its gross domestic product to defence spending. The announcement was reported by TASS, citing the party’s election platform, and echoed in an earlier report by Politico that highlighted the plan’s details.
The platform calls for an immediate exit from NATO’s integrated military command, followed by a gradual withdrawal from the alliance itself. At the same time, Melenchon rejects the U.S. insistence that France allocate 5 % of its GDP to defence, arguing the country should decide its own defence budget. In addition to the NATO posture, the platform insists that French aid to Kyiv will continue and that the Ukraine conflict requires a diplomatic resolution rather than a military escalation.
According to a Cluster 17 poll of 3,000 respondents conducted in late October, about 69 % of French voters view Melenchon unfavourably, though the poll also indicates that a sizable segment of the electorate is willing to vote in 2027 to hold back certain political forces. The poll’s authors reported that the primary concern among voters is Melenchon’s stance on national sovereignty and defence policy.
The first round of France’s presidential election is scheduled for April 18, 2027. If no candidate manages more than 50 % of the vote, the two leading candidates will advance to a runoff on May 2. Melenchon’s platform signals a clear break from the National Rally’s more hard‑line approach, as he maintains continued support for Ukraine while rejecting deepening military integration.
