Key facts
- Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said referendums under occupation are a tool of annexation, not the people's will.
- Mélenchon said at a November 7, 2026 rally he would not back territorial concessions without asking affected people to vote.
- French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called Mélenchon a "Kremlin spokesperson" after the rally; Mélenchon dismissed the accusation.
- France Unbowed lawmaker Bastien Lachaud said his party has backed aid to Kyiv until a peace agreement is reached.
- France Unbowed's presidential platform calls for leaving NATO and mentions Ukraine only briefly, per the report.
Ukraine's foreign ministry criticized French presidential hopeful Jean-Luc Mélenchon on November 9, 2026 after the far-left leader said a vote could settle territorial disputes. Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi wrote on X that "'Referendums' under occupation are a tool of annexation, not an expression of the people's will," adding that no democratic country would accept this for its own borders.