General Fabien Mandon was a guest of the Congress of French Mayors on Tuesday. The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces spoke, considering the dangers that Russia under the leadership of Vladimir Putin might pose.
“We have all the knowledge, all the economic and demographic power to deter the Moscow regime (…). What we lack, and this is where you have a big role, is the fortitude to accept self-harm in order to protect ourselves,” said the top French official in the presence of elected officials.
“If our country falters because it is not prepared to accept the loss of its children, as it must be said, suffer economically because its priorities are focused on defense production, then we are at risk,” he added. “We need to talk about it in your communities,” he concluded.
“The consequences of our failed diplomacy”?
A statement that did not go unnoticed. “I would like to express total disagreement with the speech of the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. It is not within his authority to go and invite the mayor or anyone else to war preparations that no one has decided,” reacted Jean-Luc Mélenchon to X.
I would like to express my total disagreement with the TNI Chief of Staff’s speech. It is not in his power to go and invite the mayor or anyone else to the preparations for a war that no one has decided: neither the president, nor the government, nor Parliament. Nor is it to predict…
— Jean-Luc Mélenchon (@JLMelenchon) November 19, 2025
The leader of La France insoumise (LFI) also criticized the French Chief of Staff for “planning sacrifices that would be the consequence of our diplomatic failure so that public opinion would not be solicited”.
“A chief of staff of the armed forces should not say that,” reacted the LFI parliamentary group in a press release.
🔴📄 The comments of the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces at the congress of the Association of Mayors of France are unacceptable.
We ask the President of the Republic to publicly call on General Mandon to order and reaffirm that the strategic orientation… pic.twitter.com/KixvW5Ss51
— La France Insoumise at the National Assembly (@FiAssemblee) November 19, 2025
“This declaration comes after another position was taken explaining that France must be prepared for a possible confrontation with Russia within four or five years. By openly repeating this war scenario and dramatizing it to the point of causing the disappearance of children, CEMA (Chief of Defense Staff) beyond his role. Such comments simply do not fall within its function,” added the radical left-wing deputies.
