Marine Le Pen party says it would cut Ukraine aid

A senior official in Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally said France would “turn off the tap” to Ukraine if the party came to power, triggering criticism from rival French politicians.

Louis Aliot, National Rally vice president and mayor of Perpignan, made the comment to BFMTV on Thursday when asked whether the party would keep funding Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. He said France’s healthcare system, education system and economy were stretched, while money was being found to fund weapons.

Aliot said National Rally condemned Russian aggression but argued that the war had weakened Europe.

Edouard Philippe, a centre-right politician and former prime minister who is among Le Pen’s main expected rivals, wrote on X on Friday that “turning off the tap to Ukraine is serving Russia”. He said weakening Ukraine would threaten the security of Europe and France.

Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad called National Rally the “party of capitulation” and said abandoning Ukraine would weaken French and European security.

Le Pen rejected the criticism, accusing opponents of slander and saying her party wanted a diplomatic resolution to the war. Polls cited by AFP project Le Pen could win the first round of the presidential election and face a tight second-round contest against Philippe if he reaches the run-off.