Le Pen said she could stop funding Ukraine if she wins the election. Zelensky responded: “France has a lot to lose”

Far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said that if she wins, she may refuse to support further funding for Ukraine from the European Union budget.

She said this in an interview with the Financial Times.

Le Pen said that France "can no longer afford" large-scale aid to Ukraine, and expressed doubts about whether Paris would continue to support EU-level funding for Ukraine if it would require significant costs from France.

"It would be fair to actually warn Zelensky: we canʼt do more, and we canʼt cope anymore," Le Pen said.

She recalled the €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine and stated that Franceʼs share of these costs would allegedly be €18 billion. Le Pen also opposes Ukraineʼs accession to the European Union. In her opinion, this would lead to a loss of sovereignty and major economic losses for France.

At the same time, Le Pen assured that she condemned Russiaʼs full-scale invasion and supported aid to Ukraine after 2022. However, when asked whether she considered Russia the main threat to Europeʼs security, the politician replied that she "does not know Putinʼs plans".

President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a separate interview with FT, commented on Le Penʼs statements. He acknowledged that the possible successes of pro-Russian parties in elections in European countries over the next year could create "many challenges" for Ukraine.

At the same time, Zelensky said that France itself would lose a lot if it stopped supporting Ukraine. According to him, the experience of the Ukrainian army on the modern battlefield is important, in particular, for French defense companies.

"This is a mutually beneficial cooperation," Zelensky said.

• The presidential election in France will be held in April 2027. Marine Le Pen is the candidate of the far-right National Rally party and one of the central figures in the re-election campaign. She has been nominated as a presidential candidate for the fourth time since 2012. The latest polls in the country show that Le Pen has high support.

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