Key facts
- Jean-Luc Melenchon condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and demanded Russian withdrawal.
- Melenchon suggested Ukrainian drone strikes on Moscow contributed to war escalation.
- Melenchon called for diplomacy and peace talks to resolve the conflict.
- Marine Le Pen criticized Russia's seizure of European company assets.
- Le Pen also suggested reducing financial aid to Ukraine.
- Gabriel Attal criticized Le Pen's stance on Ukraine as "unbearable and irresponsible".
Jean-Luc Melenchon, a prominent far-left presidential candidate in France, has reiterated his condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine while simultaneously suggesting that Kyiv bears some responsibility for escalating the conflict through drone strikes on Moscow. Melenchon, who is seeking to challenge the image of holding favorable views toward Russia ahead of the 2027 presidential election, posted a video on September 23, 2026, stating, "From the very first day we have condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine." He also demanded "the withdrawal of Russia from Ukraine" and emphasized that "there is still no other solution than diplomacy."
However, Melenchon questioned why the threat from Russia has increased, speculating in the video whether this was related to "deep strikes carried out by Ukraine." He rhetorically asked, "Who can imagine that a country would allow its own capital to be attacked and provide no response to such a situation?" The comments appeared to reference Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow. Melenchon did not mention Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities.
France's far-right, led by Marine Le Pen, is also navigating a shift away from Russia. Le Pen recently criticized Russia for seizing European companies' assets but also suggested that Paris should provide less financial aid to Ukraine. Centrist candidate Gabriel Attal denounced Le Pen's remarks as "unbearable and irresponsible" double-talk, arguing that reducing aid to Ukraine would strengthen Russia's dominance. Attal supports continued financial aid to Ukraine and using frozen Russian assets to assist Kyiv. The French presidential race in April 2027 is expected to be competitive, with polls indicating a potential runoff between Le Pen and Melenchon.