French presidential candidate Attal slams Le Pen's stance on Ukraine
Former French Prime Minister and presidential candidate Gabriel Attal has sharply criticized Marine Le Pen's statements on Ukraine, saying Russia is waiting precisely for her to win the election.
Former French Prime Minister and Renaissance party presidential candidate Gabriel Attal has criticized recent statements on the war in Ukraine made by Marine Le Pen, the informal leader of the far-right National Rally party and his potential rival in the upcoming election. He shared his criticism on social media platform X.
Attal's indignation was triggered by Le Pen's recent claim that France can no longer afford to financially support Ukraine due to its difficult economic situation. The former prime minister accused the far-right leader of sacrificing the security of France and Europe.
"Madam Le Pen's program is clear: sacrifice our security and hand Ukraine and Europe to Putin on a silver platter," Attal wrote.
Ukraine as a shield
The Renaissance candidate stressed that Ukraine serves as a shield for France, while Russia is simply waiting for Le Pen to win the election. "Ukraine is our shield. Abandoning it means painting a target on ourselves. That is exactly what Russia is waiting for. Russia is waiting for you specifically," Attal said.
Le Pen had previously stated that, in her view, France can no longer provide Ukraine with the same level of assistance it currently does, citing the country's worsening financial situation.
Ahead of France's 2027 presidential election, polls show Marine Le Pen leading by a significant margin over her rivals. On September 19, two leading figures of the National Rally — Le Pen, the party's main presidential candidate, and Jordan Bardella — took a firm joint stance on Moscow in a shared statement.
