Strategic autonomy of the European Union in the politics of France before and after Russian aggression in Ukraine

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the proposal by France as the initiator of the development of the strategic autonomy of the European Union and the politics of France before and after Russian aggression in Ukraine. The idea of the European Union’s involvement in the defence sphere has been with us for years; however, the concept of strategic autonomy is differently understood in the Member States of the European Union. For this reason, the following research questions were formulated: How is the strategic autonomy of the European Union understood in the politics of France? What is the position of France in reference to developing a “Europe of defence” for the European Union’s security and defence policy? How does Russia’s aggression in Ukraine affect the development of the European Union’s strategic autonomy in France’s policy? How does Russia’s aggression in Ukraine affect France’s position on the spread of the EU’s strategic autonomy? It would seem that the outbreak of the war in Ukraine constitutes an existential test for strategic autonomy.