Government Statement followed by a Debate, pursuant to Article 50-1 of the Constitution, on the situation in Ukraine and Security in Europe — Senate – Public Session of 4 March 2025 – Speech by Senator Claude Malhuret, President of the Les Indépendants – République et Territoires Group. Source: Senate – Paris, 4 March 2025 –
Washington became the court of Nero, an incendiary emperor, submissive courtiers and a ketamine-fuelled jester in charge of purging the civil service… Never in history has a President of the United States capitulated to the enemy. Never has one supported an aggressor against an ally. Never has anyone trampled on the US Constitution, issued so many illegal decrees, dismissed judges who could prevent him from doing so, suddenly sacked the military high command, weakened all the checks and balances and taken control of the social networks. This is not an illiberal drift, it is the beginning of the confiscation of democracy… We were at war against a dictator, we are now fighting against a dictator supported by a traitor… Senator Claude Malhuret’s speech went viral in Europe and across the Atlantic, broadcast by CNN, Sky News and also Fox News. A video shared on social networks, on X, translated into several languages and viewed by 500,000 people on YouTube. The French senator modestly replied: ‘I think Americans would like to hear the same thing from their elected representatives.’ Editor’s note
Table of Contents
- Mr. President,
- Mr. Prime Minister,
- Ministers,
- Dear Colleagues,
Europe stands at a critical turning point in its history. The American shield is slipping away, Ukraine risks being abandoned, and Russia is growing stronger.
Washington has become Nero’s court—an incendiary emperor, submissive courtiers, and a jester on ketamine tasked with purging the civil service.
This is a tragedy for the free world, but it is first and foremost a tragedy for the United States. Trump’s message is clear: there is no point in being his ally since he will not defend you. Instead, he will impose higher tariffs on you than on his enemies and threaten to seize your territories while supporting the dictators who invade you.
The so-called « king of the deal » is revealing what deal-making on one’s knees looks like. He thinks he can intimidate China by bowing to Putin, but in the face of such a disaster, Xi Jinping is undoubtedly accelerating preparations for the invasion of Taiwan.
Never in history has a U.S. president capitulated to the enemy. Never has one supported an aggressor against an ally. Never has one trampled the American Constitution, issued so many illegal decrees, dismissed judges who could stop him, fired the entire military leadership in one go, weakened all checks and balances, and taken control of social media.
This is not just an illiberal drift—it is the beginning of the seizure of democracy. Let us remember that it took only one month, three weeks, and two days to bring down the Weimar Republic and its Constitution.
I trust in the strength of American democracy, and the country is already protesting. But in just one month, Trump has done more harm to America than in four years of his previous presidency.
We were at war against a dictator—now we are fighting against a dictator supported by a traitor.
Eight days ago, while Trump was patting Macron on the back at the White House, the United States was voting at the UN alongside Russia and North Korea against the Europeans, who were demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops.
Two days later, in the Oval Office, the military draft dodger was lecturing war hero Zelensky on morality and strategy before dismissing him like a stable boy, ordering him to submit or step down.
Last night, he took another step into disgrace by halting the promised delivery of weapons.
What should we do in the face of such betrayal? The answer is simple: stand firm.
And above all, make no mistake—the defeat of Ukraine would be the defeat of Europe. The Baltic states, Georgia, and Moldova are already on the list. Putin’s goal is a return to Yalta, where half the continent was handed over to Stalin.
The nations of the South are watching the outcome of this conflict to decide whether they should continue to respect Europe or whether they are now free to trample on it.
Putin wants to end the order established by the United States and its allies 80 years ago—an order whose first principle is the prohibition of acquiring territory by force.
This principle is the very foundation of the UN, yet today, the Americans vote in favor of the aggressor and against the victim, because Trump’s vision aligns with Putin’s: a return to spheres of influence, where great powers dictate the fate of smaller nations.
« I’ll take Greenland, Panama, and Canada; you take Ukraine, the Baltics, and Eastern Europe; he takes Taiwan and the South China Sea. »
In the oligarch soirées of Mar-a-Lago, this is called « diplomatic realism. »
So, we stand alone.
But the claim that resisting Putin is impossible is false. Contrary to Kremlin propaganda, Russia is in bad shape. In three years, the so-called second army in the world has only managed to seize scraps of a country with a population three times smaller.
With interest rates at 25%, dwindling foreign reserves, a collapsing demographic, Russia is teetering on the edge. The American boost to Putin is the greatest strategic mistake ever made in a war.
The shock is violent, but it has one virtue: Europeans are waking up. In a single day in Munich, they understood that Ukraine’s survival and Europe’s future are in their hands, and they have three urgent priorities.
First, accelerate military aid to Ukraine to compensate for America’s abandonment, to ensure Ukraine holds the line, and, crucially, to establish Europe’s presence in any negotiations.
This will be costly. We must break the taboo on using frozen Russian assets. We must circumvent Moscow’s accomplices within Europe through a coalition of willing nations—including, of course, the United Kingdom.
Second, any agreement must include the return of kidnapped children, prisoners, and absolute security guarantees. After Budapest, Georgia, and Minsk, we know how much Putin’s agreements are worth. These guarantees require a military force strong enough to prevent another invasion.
Finally—and most urgently, because it will take the most time—we must build the European defense that has been neglected under the American umbrella since 1945 and dismantled since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
This is a Herculean task, but the success or failure of today’s democratic European leaders will be judged by history.
Friedrich Merz has just declared that Europe needs its own military alliance. This is an acknowledgment that France was right for decades in advocating for strategic autonomy.
Now, we must build it. Massive investment is needed. The European Defense Fund must be reinforced outside Maastricht debt constraints. Weapon and ammunition systems must be harmonized. Ukraine—now the largest army in Europe—must be integrated into the EU. Nuclear deterrence must be rethought using French and British capabilities. Missile shield and satellite programs must be revived.
The plan announced yesterday by Ursula von der Leyen is a very good starting point. But we will need much more.
Europe will only regain military power by regaining industrial power. In short, we must fully implement the Draghi report—once and for all.
But Europe’s real rearmament is its moral rearmament.
We must persuade public opinion in the face of war fatigue and fear, and above all, in the face of Putin’s accomplices—the far right and the far left.
Yesterday, once again, at the National Assembly, Mr. Prime Minister, before your very eyes, they spoke against European unity, against European defense.
They claim they want peace. What neither they nor Trump admit is that their peace is capitulation—the peace of defeat, replacing de Gaulle-Zelensky with a Ukrainian Pétain under Putin’s control.
Our generation’s task is to defeat the totalitarianisms of the 21st century.
The peace of collaborators who have opposed any aid to Ukraine for the past three years.
Is this the end of the Atlantic Alliance? The risk is great. But over the past few days, the public humiliation of Zelensky and the insane decisions of the past month have begun to wake Americans up.
Polls are plummeting. Republican lawmakers are being met with hostile crowds in their districts. Even Fox News is turning critical.
The Trumpists are no longer unchallenged. They control the executive, Congress, the Supreme Court, and social media.
But in American history, the defenders of liberty have always prevailed. They are beginning to rise again.
The fate of Ukraine is decided in the trenches, but it also depends on those in the United States who want to defend democracy—and on our ability to unite Europeans, find the means for their common defense, and make Europe once again the power it once was, and hesitates to become.
Our parents defeated fascism and communism at the cost of every sacrifice.
Our generation’s task is to defeat the totalitarianisms of the 21st century.
Long live free Ukraine. Long live democratic Europe.
See Also :
- « Faire face. Et d’abord ne pas se tromper… » — (2025-0304) —
- Washington ist zum Hof Neros geworden… (DE) — 2025-0304) —
- Washington has become Nero’s court… (EN) — 2025-0304) —
- « La guerre se rapproche et nos alliés s’éloignent, quel est le plan ?» — 2025-0219 —
