Raphaël Glucksmann is taking a tougher stance ahead of the presidential election. During a visit to the Châlons-sur-Saône fair, the candidate launched a fierce attack on the National Rally , accusing Marine Le Pen's party of being incompatible with a genuine policy of French sovereignty. "The National Rally is the party of submission to Vladimir Putin," he declared, denouncing a movement that claims to be nationalist but which, according to him, acts in the interests of foreign powers.
The MEP broadened his criticism to include the relationships that the National Rally (RN) maintains or seeks to maintain with several major powers. He accuses the party of defending, depending on the issue, the interests of Vladimir Putin 's Russia , Donald Trump's United States, or the Chinese Communist Party. For Glucksmann, this stance constitutes a major contradiction with the sovereigntist discourse claimed by Marine Le Pen's movement.
Ukraine at the heart of the presidential battle
The candidate primarily framed the war in Ukraine as an issue directly linked to French security. According to him, supporting Kyiv is not solely a matter of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, but above all a strategic imperative for Europeans. "We are the targets of Vladimir Putin's dictatorship," he asserted, specifically mentioning recent cases related to hybrid operations attributed to Russia in Europe.
Glucksmann warns of the consequences of halting Western support for Ukraine. According to his scenario, a Russian victory or a sustained weakening of Kyiv could shift the threat to the Baltic states or Poland , with far more serious repercussions for Europeans. He accuses those who wish to reduce aid to Ukraine of risking "sacrificing the security of French men and women."
Through this offensive, Raphaël Glucksmann also seeks to establish a clear divide for the presidential election: that of a Europe capable of defending itself against the major powers versus a France he considers too dependent on Washington, Moscow, or Beijing. This strategy allows him to place the Ukrainian question at the heart of his campaign and to directly target the National Rally (RN), at a time when positions on Russia and European defense could become one of the sensitive issues in the upcoming presidential election.
