White House worried about what a Le Pen victory in France means for Ukraine, NATO


The White House has begun sweating over the possibility of a Marine Le Pen victory in France, concerned such a rebuke of incumbent Emmanuel Macron would upset the NATO military alliance and hand Russian President Vladimir Putin an important advantage in his crusade against Ukraine, Politico reports.
Should the far-right and Putin-sympathizing Le Pen win, it could "destabilize the Western coalition against Moscow, upending France's role as a leading European power and potentially giving other NATO leaders cold feet about staying in the alliance," Politico writes, per three senior administration officials.
A President Le Pen would also "present the European Union with its biggest crisis since Brexit," while simultaneously complicating efforts to assist Ukraine in fending off the unjust Russian invasion. In a worst-case scenario, Le Pen wins and pulls France from the coalition of countries standing alongside Kyiv, officials told Politico.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The first round of elections begins Sunday, and polls suggest Macron and Le Pen will likely advance to a close two-person showdown on April 24.
"Le Pen represents a historic threat to one of the most important democracies in Europe," Lauren Speranza of the Center for European Policy Analysis told Politico. "If she leads France, it will be incredibly difficult to maintain the relative unity the trans-Atlantic community has shown so far in the war in Ukraine."
"Her election would play directly into Putin's goal of exacerbating cracks in the NATO alliance," she added.
Though Le Pen has backed off some of her pro-Putin rhetoric, she can't dodge the remarks she's made in the past, Politico writes.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Most analysts don't believe she will prevail — but even a narrow loss could have a "chilling effect" on European leaders, Biden aides said. Read more at Politico.
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Nepal chooses toddler as its new ‘living goddess’
Under the Radar Girls between two and four are typically chosen to live inside the temple as the Kumari – until puberty strikes
-
October 5 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include half-truth hucksters, Capitol lockdown, and more
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailout
Talking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland