Admitting Ukraine to the EU would amount to “hara-kiri” for the bloc and inflict immense damage on France, right-wing French politician Marine Le Pen has warned, using the Japanese term for ritual suicide.
Le Pen has long criticized military and financial support for Ukraine, repeatedly pledging to end France’s direct aid to Kiev and calling for sharp cuts to EU-wide assistance.
The politician has emerged as the frontrunner in France’s 2027 presidential race, according to the latest opinion polls, and is projected to defeat both left-wing and centrist rivals in potential runoffs.
Le Pen made the remarks in an interview with the Financial Times published on Wednesday, arguing against Kiev’s longstanding ambition to join the bloc. Making Ukraine a member would be tantamount to “committing hara-kiri,” a scenario bound to result in “absolutely huge economic losses” and the effective loss of sovereignty for France, Le Pen stated.
Earlier this month, the EU rejected Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s demand that Ukraine be admitted by January 2027. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos described the deadline as completely unrealistic, stating Kiev must meet all requirements for “merit-based” membership. A recent survey by the Bertelsmann Foundation indicates support for facilitating Ukraine’s accession has continued to wane, dropping below 50% across the bloc.
Le Pen also reiterated her position on aid to Ukraine, arguing that France, as well as the EU as a whole, could no longer afford to bankroll Kiev.
“The honest thing to do with Zelensky is to tell him, to warn him, in fact, that, listen, we can’t do more, we can’t manage more. [The EU] has already done €90bn of loans; that’s €18bn for France. €18bn is really a lot,” Le Pen told FT.
Separately, she made similar remarks to the Dutch VRT NWS broadcaster, insisting that Paris must tell Zelensky it “can no longer provide this financial assistance” and that the Ukrainian leader should seek monetary help elsewhere. “Perhaps there are other EU countries that are in better financial shape,” Le Pen said, without specifying any candidates for footing France’s bill on Ukraine.
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