Le Pen's stance in Brussels

Marine Le Pen, leader of the Rassemblement National and a candidate in the French presidential election of 2027, spoke at a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday, 14 October 2026. It followed a meeting of the Patriots group held ahead of a European Council summit. She said France is no longer in a budget position to finance Ukraine and framed the message as a matter of honesty. Under her plan, current support would continue for six months after her election, and then financial aid would stop because France lacks the means. In an interview with Flemish broadcasters recorded on Wednesday evening, she described France as being on the brink of bankruptcy and suggested Kyiv could turn to other EU members in better financial shape.

What France has already paid

The Kiel Institute's Ukraine Support Tracker, cited by NRC, records more than 7.9 billion euros of French support between January 2022 and August 2026. That amount equals 0.32% of French GDP, measured against 2021 GDP. According to the same tracker, Germany and the United Kingdom give the largest sums in euros, the United States is the largest overall donor, and Denmark and Estonia rank highest relative to their GDP. El Mundo offers a broader estimate of 26.2 billion euros for French military and humanitarian aid since 2022, both bilateral and through the EU, and places France third behind the United States and Germany. The two figures cover different scopes and sources, and the El Mundo estimate carries no stated end date.

Reactions across Europe

Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch PVV, said the Netherlands is one of the largest per capita contributors and argued that Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy, which he said pay less, should now contribute more. A European diplomatic source cited by Adnkronos noted that the Netherlands alone helps Ukraine more than two large southern European countries combined. Gabriel Attal, a former prime minister and centrist candidate, told Franceinfo that Le Pen is defending Russia's interests and that supporting Ukraine serves European defence. Zelensky, in a Financial Times interview reported on 15 October, said Le Pen does not master certain details, that the cost of aid is not as high as people's lives, and that he would not vote for her because he is Ukrainian. He also said Ukraine shares its wartime experience and cybersecurity expertise with France.

Budget ceiling and EU talks

Le Pen's remarks are tied to negotiations over the EU's next long-term budget. El Mundo reports she would defend a strict ceiling of 5 billion euros on France's net contribution to the EU, which she said would cut France's payments by 4.5 billion euros compared with what it pays now. At the Brussels press conference, as reported by ANSA, she argued that the multiannual financial framework should not be closed before the national elections in France, Poland, Spain and Italy have taken place. She said the Commission intends to go beyond the will expressed by voters in those four countries. She also called for the Commission to drop programmes such as health and internal security, and said France would not accept the Commission taking on diplomatic, military or intelligence roles.

What comes next

A European diplomat cited by La Vanguardia said urgent decisions on Ukrainian financing are needed before the end of the year, ahead of a hard winter. The EU has pledged 45 billion euros for 2027, but more is needed, and the total is still being calculated because other G-7 allies have not met their planned contributions. Another diplomatic source said no funding decision is expected at the upcoming summit. Zelensky is travelling to Brussels for the European Council session, at the invitation of its president, António Costa.