Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Rally party in France, stated in a television interview that France can no longer send financial aid to Ukraine. She emphasized that this decision does not mean a lack of support for Ukraine, and France can still continue to provide military equipment and training for the soldiers of this country.
Reasons for Not Sending Financial Aid
Le Pen said in this interview: "Given the volume of aid that has been provided so far, we cannot continue this process." She added that this decision should not be seen as a hostile act against Ukraine. Le Pen pointed to France's financial constraints and said: "We cannot simultaneously say that there is not a single euro available for pension adjustments while there are billions available for aid to the European Union."
Criticism and Challenges for the National Rally
The National Rally, under Le Pen's leadership, has traditionally opposed EU financial aid to Ukraine and has long criticized the €90 billion loan to Kyiv. Some officials from this party have privately stated that Ukraine will never be able to repay this loan, and ultimately the burden will fall on the EU countries. These statements, alongside criticisms from Le Pen's political rivals who accuse her party of playing into the hands of the Kremlin, have created further challenges for the party.
Le Pen's Peace Plans
In this interview, Le Pen also presented her plans to hold a peace conference where representatives from Russia, Ukraine, and other European countries like Germany and Poland would gather. She declared the goal of this conference to be the end of the war. Le Pen also responded to criticisms from her political rivals regarding support for Ukraine, stating that sending French fighter jets to protect Ukraine's skies would turn France into a co-belligerent.
Le Pen is leading in polls ahead of the upcoming presidential elections in France, which will be held in the spring. She faces increasing financial challenges in the country, which has become one of the main issues of her election campaign.
