Free Republic

Within days of confirmation by the UK Defense Secretary that the country had sent long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, its first use had already been recorded and widely shared on social media. A missile attack on the Luhansk region in the eastern Ukrainian region on May 12 was carried out by Anglo-French-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, the representative office of the Lugansk People’s Republic in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine reported on its Telegram channel. “According to updated information, on May 12, 2023, during a rocket attack on...

Two hundred years after the battle of Trafalgar, the navy could end up sharing the pride of its fleet with the French. Driven by spiralling budgets, the two navies began talks last week aimed at sharing their aircraft carriers. The government is expected to give the go-ahead for the Royal Navy’s two new aircraft carriers this week, part of a joint Anglo-French project to build a total of three. The French, who currently have only one carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, are questioning whether they can afford a replacement and are keen to explore closer co-operation with Britain instead. “We...

The bitter accusations levelled by American and British politicians at France for undermining policy towards Iraq are being greeted in Paris more in sorrow than anger. President Jacques Chirac has refused to personalise his differences with President George W. Bush and Tony Blair, the UK prime minister. He has chosen to adopt a more Olympian tone and avoid the kind of venom being directed his way by Washington and London, who blame the French for sabotaging a common front against the Iraqi regime. When he read a solemn declaration challenging the legitimacy of the use of force against Iraq yesterday...