Overview
- Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin told lawmakers there is no question of sending young people to Ukraine, calling the general’s wording a term taken out of context.
- President Emmanuel Macron expressed confidence in General Fabien Mandon and said the uproar stems from a selective reading of a broader speech to the Congress of Mayors.
- Macron signaled a possible transformation of the Universal National Service, offering no concrete details and indicating further announcements are to come.
- Mandon’s November 18 remark that France must be ready to “accept losing our children” in a European war scenario set off widespread reactions and testimonies across the country.
- Commentary in French media places the phrase within a longstanding national tradition that valorizes military sacrifice, helping explain the intensity of the current debate.