Key facts
- Le Pen said a Brussels meeting would be justified because the topic of Ukraine financing is rattling Europe.
- Le Pen said she would offer talks with Zelenskyy when she meets Ukraine's ambassador in France on Monday.
- Le Pen estimated French aid to Ukraine at €6 billion per year; Zelenskyy has challenged that figure.
- Zelenskyy said the military partnership with Paris is a win-win relationship and invited Le Pen to Kyiv.
- Le Pen is the front-runner ahead of next year's French presidential election.
- Le Pen cited German chancellor Friedrich Merz's threats to cut EU funds for countries refusing to back Ukraine financially.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said on November 13, 2026 that she would be prepared to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels, following 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." She added: "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," in a reference to Friedrich Merz's threats to cut EU funds for countries that 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. She 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 French aid at €6 billion per year, a figure Zelenskyy has challenged. He said the military partnership with Paris is "a win-win" relationship and invited Le Pen to Kyiv, telling French weekly l'Express that she would "change her mind" if she met Ukrainians.
Financial aid to Ukraine has become an issue in next year's presidential election amid difficult budget negotiations. This month far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon also drew controversy when he said a post-war referendum on the future of the Donbas should be held in the area, which is mostly under Russian occupation.