France: Le Pen voices opposition to Ukraine’s accession to the EU

In France, the de facto leader of the far-right National Rally, Marine Le Pen, has said that “Ukraine’s accession to the EU will lead to the death of French agriculture”. Le Pen’s statement was cited by Le Parisien.

On March 12, the French National Assembly adopted a resolution aimed at strengthening support for Ukraine. Le Pen’s National Rally abstained from voting on this document.

Le Pen: “Ukraine’s accession to the EU will lead to the death of French agriculture”

“’The National Rally’ has always supported the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but not at any cost,” Marine Le Pen explained.

Le Pen stated that Ukraine should not join the European Union.

“Otherwise, it will mean the death of French agriculture, which will be competing with their products in terms of standards and finances,” Le Pen said.

Marine Le Pen said she is “not in favor of Russia attacking Ukraine” when asked if such a position secretly supports Russia.

Le Pen criticizes Macron’s policies on Russia-Ukraine war

She also commented on the potential peace deal to stop the Russia-Ukraine war: “Donald Trump, and it’s a pity, was the only one to wish for peace” between Ukraine and Russia.

Marine Le Pen criticized French president Emmanuel Macron following a draft ceasefire proposal between the two belligerents, brokered by the United States in Saudi Arabia.

The French far-right MP expressed regret over France’s absence from the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. “I can’t resign myself to France playing no role, as this seems to be the current trajectory,” she said. Putting France at the table of a “peace conference” would enable it to regain “influence” on the diplomatic scene, which she feels “has been eroded by Emmanuel Macron’s policies.”

Earlier, Marine Le Pen condemned the White House’s decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine, a statement that also fits Russia’s interests. Le Pen also argued that the prospect of Ukraine’s membership in the European Union is not beneficial to the EU itself.

Le Pen cases

Last November, the Paris prosecutor’s office asked the court to find far-right MP Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzlement in the European Parliament fraud case. They accuse Marine Le Pen, her National Rally party, and 24 other individuals, including current and former French lawmakers and MEPs, of illegally using European Parliament funds to pay parliamentary assistants between 2004 and 2016.

In May 2023, Marine Le Pen was questioned at the National Assembly in a latest hearing of the Commission on Foreign Interference over a €9.4 million loan taken out by her party, the National Front (now National Rally), from a Russian bank.

Le Pen defended herself before a parliamentary commission of inquiry, claiming she was not under Russian influence. The loan from a Russian bank to the far-right RN party raised questions since it came after the annexation of Crimea by Russia, which was ruled illegal by the EU and the US but was supported by Marine Le Pen.

Le Pen’s past ties with Putin

The French far-right leader kept close ties with Putin for many years. Marine Le Pen had declared her admiration for Putin, disseminated a claim about ‘Nazis in Ukraine’, and supported the Crimea annexation by Russia, despite Moscow’s violations of human rights and international law. 

Marine Le Pen distanced herself from Vladimir Putin after he launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Keeping ties with the Kremlin could lead to a decline in popularity as the French condemn Russia’s war.

However, in 2022–23, Le Pen’s declarations on the Russia-Ukraine war still benefited the narratives that Russia is trying to push in Europe. In 2022, she criticized the weapons supply to Ukraine.

Le Pen’s party also abstained from voting in the National Assembly on France’s security agreement with Ukraine.

In 2024, Le Pen’s party was hit by new scandals over ties with Moscow. The French outlet Mediapart has conducted an investigation into alleged Russian funding received by the far-right politicians, namely the representative of the National Rally (formerly National Front), Jean-Luc Schaffhauser.