After the riots that shook France and just before the July 14 ceremonies against a background of reshuffle, the Head of State is expected in Vilnius. But this NATO summit does not mean that Emmanuel Macron will have his head completely elsewhere…
Vilnius placed under high security… But not really a break for Emmanuel Macron. It is in the capital of Lithuania – at the gates of Russia – that the member states of the transatlantic alliance, NATO, meet. Several points will be raised: starting with Sweden’s integration into the Alliance, finally approved by Turkey on Monday evening July 10; and send a message of support to Ukraine, which is pursuing a difficult counter-offensive against Moscow.
>> NATO Summit in Lithuania: Ukraine’s accession and defense funding at the heart of the meeting between the Allies
As a symbol, this meeting of 31 leaders is being held on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 12 and 13, some 35 km from the border with Belarus, an ally of Moscow, and not far from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected on site.
A page turns
This summit organized in Vilnius should make it possible to “keep Russia at bay”, said the presidency again. This will also be an opportunity to reaffirm that Ukraine will join “A day” to NATO. Today, the Alliance is “remobilized” by war, in the words of Emmanuel Macron, “the worst electroshock”. So far fromstate of brain death”which the French president described in 2019.
But this alliance is today divided. If NATO does not supply lethal weapons to Ukraine, the United States has promised the delivery of cluster munitions, a controversial weapon banned in France.
The objective of this trip is above all to show that the presidential agenda is resuming its normal course and that a page is turning, after the urban violence caused by the death of young Nahel in Nanterre. We remember: during the riots, Emmanuel Macron had been forced to return quickly from a European Council in Brussels, and even to cancel a state visit to Germany at the beginning of the month.
Relatives of Emmanuel Macron still fuel reshuffle rumors
But for Emmanuel Macron, it is another time which opens, just after the riots which shook the country, and before a weekend is with strong national stakes. Indeed, in addition to this diplomatic summit, the President must take stock of the famous “100 days of appeasement”, just before the ceremonies of July 14 against the backdrop of a reshuffle.
>> EDITORIAL. Reshuffle: Emmanuel Macron, more than ever “master of the clocks”
However, the executive is still very cautious as the national holiday festivities approach. All eyes will be on the night from Thursday to Friday, with the risk of further violence. This NATO summit in Lithuania, far from Paris, is however not completely synonymous with a breath of fresh air for the Prime Minister and her government: several advisers and relatives of Emmanuel Macron are still fueling rumors of a reshuffle. Some were betting on last weekend or this beginning of the week, but “shooting window” seems to have closed, we slip. “All this further lengthens the Way of the Cross”, thinks an important adviser to the president.
However, this NATO summit in Lithuania does not mean that Emmanuel Macron will have his head completely elsewhere. The Head of State knows he is expected, this week, also signs the end of the famous “100 days of appeasement and action” that he himself had promised after the pension reform. On his return from Lithuania, Emmanuel Macron will put on the costume of army chief with the traditional speech at the Hôtel de Brienne on Thursday evening. A speech to “setting the course, giving the main strategic orientations”, explains the Elysée.
This weekend will also be marked by the reception of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, guest of honor on July 14, and his traditional military parade.