The alleged move by the US president is “cruel,” the former National Rally party leader has claimed
The former leader of the French right-wing National Rally party, Marine Le Pen, has accused US President Donald Trump of “brutality” over his alleged decision to suspend American military aid to Ukraine.
Several US outlets have claimed that Trump has ordered all weapons deliveries to Kiev to be put on hold following his public spat last week with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, who had made clear his unwillingness to negotiate peace with Russia.
Washington is also considering the termination of intelligence sharing and training for Ukrainian troops and pilots, according to the media. There have been no official statements from the White House on the matter.
When asked about Trump’s alleged move by Le Figaro newspaper on Tuesday, Le Pen claimed it is “very cruel towards the Ukrainian soldiers engaged in a patriotic defense of their country.”
“I think that the brutality of this decision is condemnable,” she added.
However, the three-time French presidential candidate acknowledged that “no one can force the US to maintain its support if this country no longer wants to.”
She suggested that “the halt in the delivery of weapons is less problematic – because they can be replaced – than the halt in the support in the field of intelligence and technological and digital support.”
EU nations will not be able to provide the Ukrainian military with the necessary data on their own due to “Europe’s digital submission to the US,” Le Pen claimed.
The former leader of the National Party, who saluted Trump’s election win in 2016, saying that he “made the impossible possible,” was less supportive of the Republican candidate during his campaign last year.
Le Pen argued last year that the Ukraine conflict does not directly affect France’s key national interests, that Russia is not a threat to the EU, and that Kiev’s Western backers should ensure that Ukraine negotiates with Moscow as soon as possible.
On Tuesday, Zelensky appeared to have reversed his position of refusing to talk to Russia, writing on X that Kiev is “ready to work fast to end the war.”
Commenting on reports of the suspension of US military aid to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested that “if this really is so… then perhaps, without indulging in excessive optimism, we can modestly hope that this could encourage the Kiev regime to lean towards attempts to resolve the situation through peaceful means.”
