Support for Ukraine: controversy within the National Rally and strong criticism from the opposition

“We stand with Ukraine but not at the cost of France’s financial life.” Invited on Saturday September 5 on franceinfo, the deputy for Moselle and spokesperson for the National Rally, Laurent Jacobelli, tried to clarify the controversial remarks made two days earlier by Louis Aliot, the vice-president of the far-right party.

On BFMTV, the mayor of Perpignan suggested stopping financially supporting Ukraine, adopting the expression "cut off the tap" on aid. “The health system, the education system, the entire economy, everyone is on the rocks, and we find money to still finance weapons. (...) I’m willing, but who pays for all that?” he asked.

The next day, the proposal found itself at the heart of a skirmish between Marine Le Pen and Edouard Philippe. “Cutting off the tap to Ukraine is serving Russia,” attacked the president of the Horizons party, assuring that “weakening Ukraine as Marine Le Pen wants is to threaten the security of Europe and France.” In the process, Jordan Bardella clarified that "France will continue to honor its international commitments", while affirming that the party he chairs was not prohibiting "anything in the future".

Saturday morning, another candidate and former Prime Minister of Emmanuel Macron, Gabriel Attal, spoke on the subject. Faced with journalists who followed his trip to the Lille clearance sale, the Hauts-de-Seine MP found the proposal to “turn off the tap” to Ukraine “staggering”. Describing the RN's foreign policy as "submission towards other powers, sometimes dictatorial powers", he accused the far-right party of wanting to "abandon Ukraine for the benefit of Russia".

At the Châlons-en-Champagne Fair (Marne), Raphaël Glucksmann also accused the National Rally of being “the party of submission”. During an exchange with the press at midday, the candidate for the socialist primary described the RN executives as “junk patriots”. “We are the targets of Vladimir Putin’s dictatorship,” continued the Public Place candidate, who cited the example of the explosive drones found at the German airport of Leipzig.

“You cut aid to Ukraine, you will have war in the Baltic countries or in Poland.”

For her part, Marine Tondelier also castigated the position of the National Rally in the Ukrainian issue. “All those who want to harm France and Europe support Marine Le Pen”, who according to her would be “their Trojan horse”, declared the national secretary of the Ecologists, also a presidential candidate.