Melenchon says Ukraine concessions need public consent

French far-left presidential contender Jean-Luc Melenchon said Saturday that any Ukraine peace deal involving territorial concessions should not be considered without consulting the people affected.

Melenchon set out his France Unbowed party's foreign policy positions at a rally just outside Paris, where thousands of supporters attended.

“We cannot accept that one could consider a peace with territorial concessions in Ukraine without asking the populations concerned if they agree or not to be on one side or other of the border,” he said. “It is for the people themselves to decide what they want.”

Melenchon said a government run by his party would take an active role in efforts to settle the war in Ukraine, and that Europe would also have to play an active role in peace talks.

He referred to the Donbas, a swathe of eastern Ukraine claimed by Russia as its own, much of which Russia has already captured. Ukraine has so far refused territorial concessions in peace talks.

The first round of the French presidential election is due in April. Polls suggest Melenchon could reach the second round, where he could face far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen, who is currently polling as the front-runner.

Ukrainian officials are expected to meet Russian negotiators and US envoys on Tuesday and Wednesday for the first direct talks in months. The diplomatic track has been stalled since February, when Washington shifted attention to its war with Iran.

US President Donald Trump's repeated attempts to broker an end to the war have foundered over Moscow's territorial demands, particularly over the Donbas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected surrendering Ukrainian-held territory, warning that Russia could use it as a springboard for another attack.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and now occupies roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.