A far-right French politician, echoing sentiments shared by American counterparts, has criticized France’s continuing provision of military aid to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion.
Florian Philippot first rose to prominence while working on Marine Le Pen’s first failed presidential campaign in 2012. Since then, he served as the vice president of the far-right political party National Front, now known as National Rally, and helped found another, The Patriots. Since the latter’s start in 2017, it has failed to win any representation in the French government, however. Philippot also served as a member of the European Parliament from 2014 to 2019, representing East France.
On Twitter on Saturday, Philippot shared an article reporting on a supply shortage impacting the French military. Alongside the story, the politician questioned why France continued to provide military supplies to Ukraine, calling the practice “total madness.”
“French army: ‘Military stocks have generally disappeared…’!” he tweeted. “But we continue to send weapons and ammunition to [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky! Let’s stop this total madness!”
Armée française :
« Les stocks militaires ont globalement disparu…» !
Mais on continue d’envoyer armes et munitions à Zelensky ! 🤦
Arrêtons cette folie totale ! https://t.co/YatLTL33aP
— Florian Philippot (@f_philippot) December 10, 2022
The story that Philippot shared, published by French newspaper L’Opinion, reported that France was considerably behind other ally nations, like the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Poland in aid provided to Ukraine, on account of the shortage. Its contributions total around 470 million euros in value, with French officials insisting that the quality of equipment provided is strong despite the low amounts.
Philippot’s position reflects that of other prominent members of France’s far-right wing, including Le Pen. Noted for her strong connections to Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Le Pen in April called for France to cease providing supplies to the Eastern European country, and called for normalized relations between Russia and NATO, according to the Associated Press.
Above, far-right French politician Florian Philippot is seen in 2022. Philippot on Saturday criticized the country’s continued aiding of Ukraine despite its own military shortages.
Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images
“I’m more reserved about direct arms deliveries. Why? Because…the line is thin between aid and becoming a co-belligerent,” Le Pen said, expressing further worry about an “escalation of this conflict that could bring a whole number of countries into a military commitment.”
She ultimately lost the 2022 election to incumbent President Emmanuel Macron.
Far-right politicians in the U.S. have also expressed opposition to continued military aid for Ukraine, perhaps none more so than GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. The Georgia lawmaker has frequently spoken out against the aid, often saying that funds should instead be spent on anti-immigration initiatives.
She most recently spoke about the subject at a Saturday gala hosted by the New York Young Republican Club, where she touted the fact that she had not voted in favor of sending Ukraine a “single penny.”
Newsweek reached out to Ukrainian officials for comment. » …
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