Zelensky tells FT Ukraine–France cooperation benefits Paris, responds to Le Pen's aid-cut vow
President Volodymyr Zelensky used a Financial Times interview, published on 15 October, to respond to French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen's stated intention to halt French financing of Ukraine if she wins the 2027 election. Zelensky argued that Ukraine's battlefield and technological experience benefits French industry and security, and said that if Le Pen takes office Ukraine will work to ensure she deals with "the most powerful European system that works."
Key points
- Zelensky gave his response in a Financial Times interview reported on 15 October.
- Le Pen has said she would stop financing Ukraine after an initial six-month transition if elected in 2027.
- Le Pen cited France's budget deficit and weak growth as reasons Paris can no longer match current aid levels.
- Zelensky said French industry can gain from Ukrainian technologies, cooperation, and joint production.
- Zelensky said Ukraine's military experience is important for partners including the UK, the US, and France.
- Zelensky said aid makes Ukraine stronger so it can in turn provide security to others through its experience.
- Le Pen leads polls by a significant margin ahead of the 2027 French presidential election.
Why it matters
With Marine Le Pen leading polls ahead of the 2027 French presidential election, her declared policy of ending French financing of Ukraine is more than a campaign line: it is a plausible future course for one of the EU's largest economies. Zelensky's FT response recasts the aid debate as a two-way relationship in which Ukraine's combat and technological experience is itself a strategic export to Paris, an argument aimed at French economic and security interests rather than at humanitarian appeal.
What happened
President Volodymyr Zelensky used a Financial Times interview to respond to statements by Marine Le Pen, the far-right frontrunner for the 2027 French presidential election, that she would stop financing Ukraine if she came to power. Le Pen, speaking to journalists in Brussels, said France's budget deficit and weak growth left it unable to maintain current aid levels and that she would phase support out over six months. Zelensky argued instead that Ukraine's military experience is strategically valuable to partners including France, and that French industry could benefit from cooperation, joint production, and Ukrainian technologies. He also said that if Le Pen won, Ukraine would push to ensure she engaged with "the most powerful European system that works."
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All supplied sources are Ukrainian outlets, and they lead with Zelensky's rejoinder rather than Le Pen's original comments. The coverage frames continued French engagement as mutual gain, with headlines such as "France can win from cooperation with Ukraine" foregrounding the economic-benefit argument. Several pieces describe the FT interview as a direct response to Le Pen, underlining both the 2027 election timeline and Le Pen's polling lead as the political stakes for Kyiv.
Background
Le Pen, a far-right candidate, has opposed Ukraine's accession to the EU on sovereignty and economic grounds and warned that French agriculture would lose out. She has described France as in an "extremely dangerous situation" because of its budget deficit and weak growth, and she referenced a €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine, claiming France's share would be around €18 billion. She has said France could maintain aid for six months after her election before halting it, and that better-off EU states could take over. In 2026 France contributed €71 million to a Ukraine reconstruction fund and participates in joint EU support mechanisms, with total French financial assistance in 2026 estimated by Reuters at several hundred million euros. Le Pen has stated that France condemns Russia's full-scale invasion and supported assistance to Ukraine after 2022, while saying she does not know Putin's plans.