France’s right-wing party, the National Rally (RN), has made clear its stance on potential French troop deployments to Ukraine and the use of French weapons by Kiev against Russian soil, should it secure the office of prime minister in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Marine Le Pen, former long-time leader of the RN party, stated that if her party were to win the election, they would block any such troop deployments, as the decision ultimately lies with the prime minister, not the president.
Additionally, Le Pen explained that under an RN government, Kiev would be barred from using French-supplied weapons for strikes on Russian soil. She argued that this would make Paris a “co-belligerent” in the conflict, a stance that sharply differs from the majority of Western leaders who have allowed their weaponry to be used in such circumstances while maintaining they are not parties to the hostilities. Moscow has repeatedly warned against supplying increasingly sophisticated weapons to Ukraine, claiming that it makes countries involved in the hostilities.
Le Pen’s comments come amid growing concerns in the EU about her party potentially taking drastic measures, including ceasing all support for Ukraine or even taking France out of NATO entirely. The RN party emerged victorious in the first round of France’s snap election, securing 33% of the vote, while Macron’s centrist Ensemble bloc came third with only 20. In the second round, the RN is projected to win up to 280 seats out of the 577-seat National Assembly.