Marine Le Pen: We are pushing Ukraine into unwinnable war

Western countries are reportedly pressuring Ukraine to continue a conflict it has little chance of winning, according to Marine Le Pen, the leader of the right-wing French party National Rally.

"Ukraine cannot win in this conflict... We are pushing it to continue the war," Le Pen stated in an interview with El Pais, per Caliber.Az.

Le Pen highlighted that the only way Ukraine could potentially win the conflict would be through direct involvement by NATO countries. However, she warned that such an intervention could escalate into a Third World War. 

On December 18, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, where they discussed the French initiative to deploy foreign troops in Ukraine. Following the meeting in Brussels, Zelenskyy shared on his Telegram channel that the two leaders continued to discuss Macron's proposal to deploy forces that could help stabilize the situation and contribute to peace efforts.

"We continued to elaborate on President Macron's initiative on the presence in Ukraine of forces that can contribute to stabilization on the road to peace," Zelenskyy wrote. Macron also informed Zelenskyy about his communications with other partners to ensure the necessary steps were taken toward peace.

Zelenskyy emphasized that strengthening Ukraine's air defence remains a key priority, stating, "Air defence is still the main task." He also thanked Macron for France's efforts in training a Ukrainian brigade and confirmed that they agreed to continue this cooperation. "We hope that other partners will join this effort and contribute to the staffing of additional Ukrainian brigades," Zelenskyy added. This meeting was Zelenskyy's eighth with Macron in 2024.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that EU leaders might face pressure to send European military forces to Ukraine as part of a potential post-conflict peacekeeping force. The report, citing sources familiar with the matter, suggested that these leaders could be urged to commit to participating in a peacekeeping mission after the conflict ends. However, the specific parties exerting this pressure were not identified.

The article also noted that US President-elect Donald Trump has previously indicated his plans to resolve the conflict and suggested that Ukraine might have to make territorial concessions in exchange for security guarantees, though these would not include NATO membership. Sources cited by Bloomberg indicated that ahead of Trump's inauguration, EU leaders are focused on ensuring that Ukraine enters any negotiations "from a position of strength."

Additionally, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump believes European troops will need to be deployed to Ukraine to monitor compliance with any ceasefire agreements.

By Tamilla Hasanova