Le Pen promises to halt aid to Ukraine and block its EU membership

Marine Le Pen, who is leading in polls ahead of France’s spring presidential election, has said that if she wins she will stop aid to Ukraine and prevent it from joining the European Union.

She made the statement in an interview with the Financial Times.

According to Le Pen, she is prepared to maintain only some operational support and training for Ukrainian soldiers. Everything else, she said, France can no longer afford.

“The honest approach to Mr. Zelensky is to tell him, effectively to warn him: listen, we cannot do more, we cannot handle more. We have already allocated EUR 90 billion in loans, of which France’s share is EUR 18 billion. EUR 18 billion is really a great deal,” Le Pen said.

In addition, the politician threatened to block the new seven-year EU budget, which provides up to EUR 100 billion in support for Ukraine. To do so, she intends to withhold half of France’s contribution to the Union’s budget.

Le Pen described Ukraine’s accession to the EU as tantamount to “committing harakiri,” warning that it would lead to a loss of sovereignty and “absolutely enormous economic losses” for France.