France Unbowed movement’s leader says Paris to leave NATO if he is elected president

French leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said Paris will leave NATO if he becomes president, arguing that the alliance serves primarily to place Europe under US influence, according to French media late Friday.

"If I am president, France will leave NATO," Melenchon told the LCI news channel, adding that the military alliance "serves only one thing: placing us under the supervision of the United States."

Mélenchon, founder of the France Unbowed (LFI) movement and longtime critic of NATO, said keeping distance from the alliance was part of France's "historic line."

He also noted France's withdrawal from NATO's integrated military command under former President Charles de Gaulle and criticized former President Nicolas Sarkozy's 2009 decision to reintegrate the country into the alliance's command structure.

"We will proceed step by step," said Melenchon, adding that France would first leave NATO's integrated command and distance itself from joint military equipment programs with the US army.

His remarks come amid growing debates in Europe about defense autonomy, military spending, and the continent's dependence on US security guarantees following heightened geopolitical tensions.

Melenchon announced his candidacy for president on May 3.