France's Support For Ukraine May Depend On Election Outcomes - Expert

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Retired French Army General and military expert Nicolas Richoux said this in an interview with an Ukrinform correspondent.

“The weaknesses of democracies lie in the fact that they appear very resilient-able to withstand shocks-but at the same time, they are highly changeable. If the political majority shifts, tomorrow's policies can't remain the same. In France, this is clearly visible. On a political level, it's a real apocalypse,” he said.

He warned that the potential rise to power of Marine Le Pen's party-given the far-right's sympathies toward Vladimir Putin-could drastically alter France's stance on Ukraine. The current government, led by Sébastien Lecornu, may only last a few more months amid the crisis.

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“Even if it lasts six months, that's not enough for Ukraine in the long term. Personally, I'm very concerned about the 2027 elections. The National Rally is leading the polls, easily securing 33–35% in the first round of the last parliamentary elections. That's significant. If Marine Le Pen or Jordan Bardella becomes president, what then? They'll go to Moscow like Donald Trump did with Putin, saying 'we're friends' and so on. We're living in a very unstable period, where 10-year forecasts are impossible,” Richoux explained.

He added that French society is currently too absorbed in domestic issues and not ready to go beyond the level of support it already provides to Ukraine.

“I am a strong supporter of Ukraine, and I deeply regret to say this, but the real concerns of the French people right now are domestic politics, purchasing power, rising taxes, and uncertainty about who will be in government tomorrow. This doesn't inspire optimism, especially with the (presidential – ed.) elections just a year and a half away, in 2027. So today, I don't see our ability to go beyond what we're already doing,” he added.

As reported by Ukrinform, in France, the leaders of the far-right National Rally-whether represented by Marine Le Pen or Jordan Bardella-currently hold the strongest chances of winning the first round of the 2027 presidential election.

Photo provided by Nicolas Richoux

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