Marine Le Pen calls for scaling back French financial aid to Ukraine while keeping military support
Marine Le Pen has said France should scale back its financial support for Ukraine because of pressure on the country’s public finances, while continuing to provide military equipment and training.
“We cannot help Ukraine as much as we do now,” the National Rally politician told French broadcaster LCI, according to Le Figaro.
Le Pen said the change would not amount to “an act of hostility toward Ukraine.”
“We can continue to train their soldiers, their armed forces, and we can continue to provide them with equipment so they can defend themselves,” she said. “But financially, we can no longer do so.”
Le Pen argued that France could not say it lacked money to index pensions while continuing to spend billions through its contribution to the European Union.
Her position stops short of calls from some figures within the National Rally to end French support for Kyiv altogether. Party vice president Louis Aliot has previously suggested “turning off the tap” on aid to Ukraine.
Le Pen has faced longstanding criticism over her past ties to Russia. Her party received a multimillion-euro loan from a Russian bank, and she met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin during her 2017 presidential campaign.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Le Pen has advocated a diplomatic settlement to the war while distancing herself from some of her earlier positions on Russia.
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