Le Pen offers to meet Zelenskyy in Brussels

PARIS — Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said she would be prepared to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels, in the wake of her promises to stop French financial aid to Ukraine. Speaking on the sidelines of a trade fair in Paris, Le Pen said a meeting in Brussels would be “justified” because “the topic of Ukraine financing is rattling Europe.” “The German chancellor is starting to threaten people, it’s starting to be an issue in Europe and it would be interesting to discuss this,” she said in a reference to Friedrich Merz’s threats to cut EU funds for countries who refuse to support Ukraine financially.

Le Pen said she would offer to hold talks with Zelenskyy when she meets the Ukrainian ambassador in France on Monday. The far-right leader is the front-runner ahead of next year’s presidential election and has repeatedly said France can no longer afford to keep financing Ukraine’s war effort.

She has estimated that French aid amounts to €6 billion per year, a figure Zelenskyy has challenged.