Reacting to the almost total destruction of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, Nathalie Loiseau believes that the war in Ukraine is "long and difficult" and its "outcome depends a lot on us." To those who would like to go faster, she objects that "we must not cobble together a forgotten conflict. We did it in 2015 with the Minsk agreements and Russia backed off to jump better." "We must establish a lasting peace, dissuade Russia from continuing its military adventurism that threatens us," she said.

As for the last set of sanctions, the chair of the Defence and Security Subcommittee believes that the sanctions are taking place too slowly. "We are not ambitious enough," she said, stressing that the agreement requires the approval of all 27 member states, including "Victor Orban [the Hungarian head of state] who slows down the process of sanctions and military aid to Ukraine." It also points to the Hungarian Prime Minister's proximity to Russia and the compromises of some Hungarian banks with the Russian government. But this does not only concern Hungary: "We need more sanctions against companies that profit from the war. Russia must not be brought to its knees, but the Russian war effort must be brought to its knees."

This war also jeopardizes Ukrainian agriculture. "A tragedy for Ukraine, but also a drama for the world," the French MEP said. With the efforts to get grain out of Ukraine - destined for Africa and the Middle East - it returns to the crisis and the blockade of some countries such as Poland, which fear that it will penalise their farmers. "If Poland has done a lot for Ukraine - welcoming refugees and military aid - selfishness and electoral arguments should not prevail before the October elections in that country. I hope that the European Commissioner for Agriculture, who is a Pole from the ruling party - Janusz Wojciechowski - does not take part in an election campaign."

In her interview with "Ici l'Europe", Nathalie Loiseau also stresses that it is necessary to anticipate the entry of Ukraine's agricultural products on the European market in view of the country's accession to the EU. "How can we ensure that these cereals do not flood the European market when it is not necessary? We need to be able to store them or transit them to the countries that need them most."

Regarding the elections in Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the favorite for the second round, Nathalie Loiseau believes that Turkey's choices continue to distance it from the EU, including the restriction of important freedoms. "With Erdogan in power, the application for EU membership is a myth," she warned.

In addition, Nathalie Loiseau has just published a report on the explosive theme of corruption in the European Parliament, the famous "Qatargate". She denounced "this other war, the interference of certain countries such as Russia or China to influence our decisions". In this document, it promotes more transparency and the protection of Members' work. "I call for an independent European high ethical authority that has power over all institutions and a real power of investigation." In particular, she is concerned that the European Commission has not yet made its proposal on this subject.

Finally one year before the European elections, while the Renew group is credited in the polls with third place behind the European People's Party (EPP) and the Socialists and Democrats, Nathalie Loiseau rejects any alliance or coalition on the right with the eurosceptics, as well as a rapprochement with the party of the Italian Georgia Meloni. "I am troubled by these ambiguous signals towards Fratelli d'Italia and its neo-fascist heritage or towards Matteo Salvini's League," she said. She recalls that Antonio Tajani, former EPP president of the European Parliament, and Silvio Berlusconi, sit in this coalition in the Italian government. Even if she believes that many in the European Parliament, even on the right, "do not want to collude with the extreme right".

As for her personal destiny, if Nathalie Loiseau evades the question of the head of the list of Emmanuel Macron's party, she affirms her desire to run again in 2024 to continue the work started. She stresses that the presidential majority will present a single list, which has not yet been recorded for the Nupes or the National Rally. "We leave united, with the same convictions and the desire to move Europe forward," she announced.

A program prepared by Perrine Desplats, Isabelle Romero and Sophie Samaille.

"The project was co-financed by the European Union under the European Parliament's grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is in no way responsible for or bound by the information, information or views expressed in the framework of the project for which only the authors, interviewees, publishers or broadcasters of the programme are responsible in accordance with applicable law. Nor can the European Parliament be held liable for any damage, direct or indirect, which may result from the execution of the project."

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