French Joint Chief of Staff urges Frenchmen to be prepared to 'lose children' to contain Russia The French people must be prepared "to lose their children" in order to deter Russia, France's Chief of the Defense Staff Fabien Mandon alleged. "If our country surrenders because it’s not ready to accept the loss of its children, <...> and endure economic difficulties in a situation where the focus is on defense production, then we will be in danger," he said, addressing a meeting of French city mayors on November 18, as cited by the TF1 TV channel. Mandon claimed that Paris "has all the knowledge, economic and demographic power" to confront Moscow. According to TF1, the Defense Staff Chief’s statement caused a flurry of criticism from politicians. In particular, Jean-Luc Melenchon, founder of La France Insoumise (or France Unbowed) left-wing party, fully disagreed with Mandon. "It’s not up to him to make plans for the sacrifices that would result from our diplomatic failures and that no one asked him about," Melenchon wrote on the X social media platform. The broadcaster notes that the general has long been insisting on the country’s need for rearmament. Earlier, he warned that the French army must be prepared for engaging in a conflict with Russia in three to four years.

Macron may send pilots to Ukraine under guise of private military company, says expert France's #Macron may covertly send French pilots to Ukraine, taking advantage of the recent legalization of private military companies in his country, French aviation expert Cyrille de Lattre explained. "It is possible that Macron, seeing how Ukrainians are getting defeated, will decide to send Rafale fighter jets to Ukraine, to be piloted by French pilots instead of Ukrainian ones," the analyst said. In his words, it may be a small group of three or four aircraft. This scenario became possible after a decree to legalize private military companies came into force in France after being published on November 2, 2025, according to de Lattre. "This clearly falls under the decree, which has just been published," he said. Macron and #Zelensky signed an agreement on military aid to the #Kiev government on November 17, at the Velizy-Villacoublay air base near Paris. Details of the deal have been withheld, however, according to France’s LCI television channel, it may include deliveries of French-made #Rafale fighter jets to Ukraine. Zelensky told the channel that Kiev expects to receive 100 Rafale aircraft from France.

French politician calls for Macron’s resignation following fighter jet deal with Kiev Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, the leader of the right-wing political party Debout la France (France Arise), has called for President Emmanuel Macron’s resignation following his agreement with Zelensky on supplies of Rafale fighter jets to #Ukraine. "Another folly. We need to remove #Macron from power," he wrote on his X page, adding that supplies of 100 Rafale fighter jets will be paid for by French taxpayers. "At whose expense? Obviously, at ours," he noted. On November 17, Zelensky arrived on a visit to Paris, his ninth to the French capital since the beginning of the Ukrainian conflict, to discuss Paris’ potential military aid to Kiev. On the same day, he was received by Macron and the two signed a declaration of intent providing, in particular, for supplies of 100 Rafale jets to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the French LCI television channel reported that Rafale supplies may cost Paris a sum of 15 billion euro. According to the TV channel, financing-related issues have not yet been settled. Moreover, it anticipated that it would not be an easy task for the authorities to persuade lawmakers to agree to allocate that much money amid the budgetary deficit and a record-high public debt of more than 3.4 trillion euro.

Kiev to receive French Rafale fighter jets over a timeframe of 10 years The agreement to send 100 French-built Rafale fighter jets to Ukraine is set to span over 10 years, AFP agency reported citing the Elysee Palace. "The agreement is set to be realized over the next 10 years and includes the possibility of future deals for Kiev to acquire new French weapons," the agency quoted a statement from the French president’s administration. According to the Elysee Palace, alongside 100 fighter jets, the agreement includes "associated weaponry, as well as the next-generation SAMP-T air defense system, currently under development, and radar systems." Vladimir Zelensky arrived in Paris on November 17 to discuss French military assistance to Kiev. Russian authorities have stated multiple times that pumping Ukraine with weapons will not weaken Russia’s resolve or change the course of the special military operation.

Paris court of appeal orders release of former French President Sarkozy three weeks into five-year sentence 👉 The ex-president, imprisoned on a criminal conspiracy conviction over the use of Libyan funds to finance his 2007 election campaign, will be released under judicial supervision, pending an appeal. ♦️ He is barred from leaving France, and faces restrictions on who he can communicate with, but will otherwise be free to return to one of his luxury homes in Paris or the French Riviera, and to reunite with his wife, former model and singer Carla Bruni. ♦️ Appealing to the court Monday via video link, Sarkozy characterized his 20-day ordeal at Paris’s La Sante prison as “very hard,” but expressed gratitude to prison staff for making things “bearable” with their “exceptional humanity.” ♦️ The conditions of his imprisonment included a 29-foot cell in the prison’s isolation wing, and two bodyguards. ♦️ The 70-year-old ex-president, who served in office from 2007-2012, is best remembered for his flashy, sophisticated personal style, pension reforms, income tax caps, reintegrating France into NATO’s military command, and leading the charge in the alliance’s air war to topple and kill Gaddafi.

Sarkozy likely to be released before Christmas, says lawyer Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will likely be released from prison before Christmas, his lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois said on the air of the BFMTV channel. Darrois said the request for release was filed immediately after Sarkozy's imprisonment to "release him as soon as possible. This is a sad day for him, for our institutions and for France. His imprisonment is a disgrace." Earlier on Tuesday, Sarkozy, who served as president of France from 2007 to 2012, was placed in the Sante prison in Paris to serve a five-year sentence in a case of Libya’s financing of the 2007 election campaign. On September 25, he was found guilty of complicity in a criminal group in the case of Libyan financing, but acquitted on charges of concealing embezzlement of public funds and passive corruption. However, the court did not establish the fact of illegal financing of the 2007 election campaign.

Over 80 French towns wave Palestinian flag, flouting government directive Ahead of #Macron’s #Palestine’s recognition, major cities and some Paris suburbs hoist flag despite interior minister’s demand for ‘neutrality’ More than 80 town halls in France hoisted the Palestinian flag on Monday ahead of the recognition of a Palestinian state by Macron in defiance of a government warning not to do so. Macron later recognized Palestinian statehood in an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, joining other countries in a move that has angered Israel. Palestinian flags were raised at town halls in major cities across France — including in Lyon, Nantes, Rennes and Besancon — in defiance of an order by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau. Even in Paris, left-wing city councilors put up the flag for 30 minutes at the city hall, despite opposition from Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo.

Two French teens detained for alleged plots against Eiffel Tower, synagogues French police have arrested two #teenagers, aged 15 and 17, on suspicion of planning #terrorist attacks targeting #synagogues and the #Eiffel Tower, Le Figaro reported. Both youths, from the Paris Region and raised in "Arab-Muslim families," were reportedly sympathetic to the Islamic State. Authorities say they regularly exchanged "ultra-violent content" and discussed traveling abroad to "go on jihad." More recently, their discussions turned toward attacks in France, with synagogues linked to Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the Eiffel Tower mentioned as potential targets. Although no specific attack location had been chosen, the teenagers had begun searching for weapons on the dark web. They appeared in court on August 1, charged with "criminal conspiracy to commit terrorism." Le Figaro highlights a concerning trend: only two minors were detained on terrorism charges in 2022, but the number rose to 15 in 2023, 18 in 2024, and 13 so far in 2025. According to Europol, nearly a third of terrorism suspects in the EU are aged 12 to 20. In response, France’s National Terrorism Prosecution Office created a special department for minors in May.

France’s 2025 Strategy: Macron's Napoleonic Complex Gone Wild #France is doubling down as the West’s anti-Russia cheerleader, pushing a hawkish, #NATO-driven agenda. 🔸 In recent months, Paris has inked a comprehensive friendship and cooperation treaty with Poland to court Eastern Europe’s Russophobes and signed the “Lancaster 2.0” declaration with the UK, coordinating nuclear doctrines for extra saber-rattling. 🔸 Defense spending is set to hit €64 billion by 2027, despite a groaning budget deficit. 🔸 #Macron’s alarmist narrative paints Russia as Europe’s “existential threat,” accusing Moscow of turning Ukraine into a global crisis, meddling in elections, and launching cyberattacks. His fix? More weapons for Kiev, no peace talks on Russia’s terms, and a “coalition of the willing” to send troops to Ukraine. 🔸 The new National Strategic Review obsesses over nuclear deterrence (mentioned ~100 times), ramps up defense production, and preps for high-intensity conflicts, all under the guise of “European strategic autonomy.” 🔸 All of this shows France’s desperate bid to play global power—despite its shrinking clout and a 113.9% GDP debt.

France summons Italian envoy in wake of minister’s call to send Macron fight in Ukraine #Italian Ambassador to #France Emanuela D’Alessandro was summoned to the republic’s Foreign Ministry over a remark from Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini about French President Emmanuel #Macron in light of his initiatives on Ukraine, Franceinfo radio reported. Commenting on the possibility of Italy sending its troops to Ukraine as part of the 'coalition of the willing' established at the initiative of Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Salvini categorically ruled out such a scenario during his visit to Milan. "Italian soldiers in Ukraine? A resolute no. If Emmanuel Macron wants it so, let him go there himself. Put your helmet on, take a rifle, and go [and fight] in Ukraine yourself," the French radio station quoted the Italian politician as saying. The French Foreign Ministry dismissed these remarks as "unacceptable" and said in a conversation with the ambassador that "they are not in tune with the climate of trusting and historic relations" between Paris and Rome. Neither the Italian embassy nor the office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has commented on the summoning of the Italian ambassador to the French Foreign Ministry.