Le Pen says France can no longer financially help Ukraine; Attal hits back
Marine Le Pen said at the Playbook Paris Live summit on Thursday that France can no longer financially help Ukraine because of the state of the French budget, though she left the door open to continued military training and some material aid. French presidential candidate Gabriel Attal, the former prime minister, accused her of sacrificing European security and handing Ukraine to Russia. Le Pen is leading polls ahead of the spring 2027 French presidential election.
Key points
- Le Pen told the Playbook Paris Live summit on Thursday that France can no longer financially help Ukraine, citing the French budget.
- She said she does not plan to fully abandon Kyiv and is willing to continue training Ukrainian troops and providing some material aid.
- Le Pen believes France should not fight Russia because it is a nuclear power and rejects that France is already in conflict with Moscow.
- She wants France to withdraw from NATO's integrated military command, but not while war is on Europe's doorstep.
- Le Pen leads polls ahead of the spring 2027 French presidential election; she and Jordan Bardella, 31, will run together and he would head government if she wins.
- Attal wrote on X that Le Pen's program 'sacrifices our security and hands Ukraine and Europe to Putin on a silver platter,' and that Ukraine is a shield for France.
Why it matters
Le Pen's current position would end French financial aid to Kyiv while preserving military training and limited material assistance, and it signals her intent to pull France out of NATO's integrated military command once the war in Ukraine is no longer on Europe's doorstep. With Le Pen leading polls ahead of the spring 2027 election, her stance directly shapes the outlook for future French and EU policy toward Ukraine. Attal's sharp response indicates that her Ukraine position is now a central line of attack for centrist opponents, making it a defining issue of the French election.
What happened
At the Playbook Paris Live summit on Thursday, Marine Le Pen said France can no longer financially help Ukraine because of the state of the French budget. She framed this as a regret rather than a full withdrawal, saying she is willing to continue training Ukrainian military personnel and to provide some material aid. Le Pen also said France should not fight Russia because it is a nuclear power, rejected the idea that France is already in conflict with Moscow despite Kremlin hybrid attacks on European states, and argued France should use its diplomacy to seek peace, regretting that Paris is currently standing aside from negotiations. She added that she wants to withdraw France from NATO's integrated military command, but not while the war is on Europe's doorstep. Gabriel Attal, former French prime minister and Renaissance party presidential candidate, responded on X by accusing Le Pen of sacrificing French and European security and handing Ukraine and Europe to Russia. He argued that Ukraine is a shield for France and that abandoning it would put a target on France itself. Le Pen is leading polls ahead of the spring 2027 French presidential election; she and Jordan Bardella, president of her party, will run together, with Bardella, 31, set to head the government if she wins.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Both Ukrainian-language outlets covering Le Pen's statement pair it with a sharp domestic French rebuttal, underscoring Kyiv's stake in how the 2027 election is framed. ZN.UA and Yevropeiska pravda present Attal's counter-argument that Ukraine is a shield for France and that Russia is waiting for a Le Pen victory, framing her position as a security risk not just to Kyiv but to Europe as a whole.
Where reporting differs
Le Pen says she is not abandoning Kyiv because she would keep military training and some material aid; Attal frames her program as handing Ukraine and Europe to Putin and abandoning a shield for France. Le Pen also says France should not fight Russia because it is a nuclear power and rejects that France is already in conflict with Moscow, while critics argue that abandoning Ukraine amounts to putting a target on France and that Russia is already acting against Europe through hybrid attacks.
Background
Le Pen was able to run in the 2027 election after a Paris appeals court ruling on July 7 upheld her conviction in the EU Parliament funds misuse case but reduced the ban on running for office. In May, Le Pen held a harder line, promising to leave NATO's command structure in her first presidential term without referencing the war in Ukraine; her current position delays that step while war is on Europe's doorstep. In September, Le Pen and Bardella issued a joint statement condemning Russia's hostile actions and saying Moscow must not pressure France with threats; Politico assessed this as an effort to rebut centrist and left-wing accusations of being allied with Putin. Jordan Bardella previously proposed requiring guarantees from Kyiv in exchange for aid, with Ukrainian funds to be spent on weapons from European defense companies that provide the financing.