Sharp debate in France over Ukraine/ RN warns of cutting military aid to Kyiv

The stance expressed by a leading figure of the National Rally (RN) has sparked major controversy in France. He stated that if the far right takes power, military aid to Ukraine could be cut.

During an interview with BFMTV, Louis Alliot, vice-president of the RN and former partner of Marine Le Pen, was asked whether the party would ‘turn off the tap’ on support for the Kyiv government.

‘We are turning off the tap,’ was Alliot’s response, linking this stance to the great difficulties that, according to him, French healthcare, education, and the economy are experiencing.

‘The healthcare system, the education system, the entire economy, everyone is in poverty and we still find money to finance weapons,’ he said. Alliot added that ‘one must know how to stop a war.’

Reactions from the RN’s political opponents were swift. Edouard Philippe, the center-right candidate and one of Marine Le Pen’s main rivals in the presidential race, accused the party of favoring Moscow.

‘We are turning off the tap in Ukraine, which means we are serving Russia,’ Philippe declared. According to him, weakening Ukraine constitutes ‘a threat to the security of Europe and France.’

Marine Le Pen responded to the criticism by drawing attention to previous contacts between French governments and Russian President Vladimir Putin. She mentioned Putin’s visit to France in 2017 and the meeting with Dmitry Medvedev, then Russia’s prime minister, in Le Havre in 2019.

Le Pen, who was received at the Kremlin in 2017, also stressed that since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine she has called for a major peace conference and a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Gabriel Attal, former French prime minister and candidate in the presidential elections, also joined the clash. He described the RN as a ‘foreign party’ and accused it of ‘subservience to Russia.’

Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party, also reacted via Platform X, where he wrote that the RN ‘will always prefer Putin to the resistance of the Ukrainian people.’

The debate takes place on the eve of the French presidential elections, in which Marine Le Pen leads in the first round, according to polls. Support for Ukraine and relations with Russia are expected to be among the key issues of the campaign.