France's hard-Right candidate Marine Le Pen has accused Europe of waging a war over energy with Russia and vowed to stop funding Ukraine should she win next year's presidential election.
Ms Le Pen, who is a front-runner in the polls, pledged to stop bilateral aid for Kyiv within six months, saying France can no longer afford it.
She claimed the 'honest thing' the EU should do would be to tell Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky it 'can't manage' to financially support his cause any more.
The Eurosceptic party leader has long opposed Ukraine's membership of the EU and has criticised EU sanctions against Russia, claiming it has allowed an 'energy war' to form between the two powers.
It comes as Mr Zelensky resumed strikes today on Russia's oil refineries, ending a proposed ceasefire on energy infrastructure, after he claimed the US cut off intelligence sharing and crucial satellite data.
Ms Le Pen accused the EU of idiocy over its stance against the Kremlin, telling the Financial Times: 'We the EU have led an energy war against Russia, when we haven't got any energy. It is not very smart.'
The remarks come as the National Rally leader campaigns for the presidency on a pledge to prioritise French interests over those of other nations.
In the interview with the paper, she claimed the French State spends a significant sum that 'does not contribute to the country's development'.
France's hard-Right leader Marine Le Pen spoke to press in an interview in July
Ms Le Pen met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in 2017
She is now forecasted to lead the first round of the elections in April with more than 30 per cent.
The EU is set to loan Ukraine €45billion (£38billion) in 2027 as part of a €90billion (£76billion) budget the body has set aside.
But critics have questioned how the EU could provide Kyiv with further financial support, with estimations Ukraine may require around €70billion (£59billion) more.
In a press conference on Tuesday, she said that France's net contribution should be capped to €5billion (£4.3billion), a significant drop from the current funding of around €8billion (£6.8billion).
By holding back France's contribution, Ms Le Pen is determined to derail the EU's plans to set aside a seven-year budget worth up to €100billion (£84billion).
Ms Le Pen is tied to Russia through a controversial loan from a Russian bank to finance its 2014 election campaigns.
She then travelled to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2017.
The party candidate later condemned the Kremlin's aggression in 2022 after Russia launched its full-scale invasion into Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Donald Trump of a 'betrayal' over the loss of crucial satellite data in an episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored on Wednesday
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s oil infrastructure was today on fire again as a fuel terminal spectacularly reignited after blazing for five days in Rostov-on-Don
By allowing Ukraine to join the EU, Ms Le Pen has previously criticised Brussels of stripping its member states of economic and political control.
Her remarks come after Mr Zelensky publicly condemned US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Mr Zelensky agreed he felt 'betrayed' by Mr Trump's actions over the past few days, and warned the president: 'This is not the right side of history.'
In a separate interview with the FT, the Ukrainian leader said the cutting off of US intelligence sharing and the simultaneous weakening of Starlink satellite internet service was 'dangerous' for civilians.
'The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We're done,' Mr Zelensky said defiantly.
It comes as a big drone attack on Russia's Ryazan region caused a fire to break out at an oil refinery, marking the first Ukrainian strike on an energy facility since Mr Trump announced on Sunday a surprise 'energy ceasefire'.
Separately, a fuel terminal spectacularly reignited after blazing for five days in Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia.
Mr Zelensky had paused energy strikes for three days to comply with US wishes, but said he would now resume them because Mr Putin was still attacking Ukraine's essential infrastructure.
Zelensky had paused energy strikes for three days to comply with US wishes, but said he would now resume them because Putin was still attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure
Elon Musk – whose company SpaceX operates the Starlink satellites which have slowed down in recent days – took to X to condemn Ukraine's resumption of attacks on Russia's oil facilities.
'And so the slaughter continues,' the tech billionaire wrote. 'Time for Zelensky to go.'
Mr Zelensky lambasted Mr Trump over his apparent admiration for Mr Putin, accusing the US president of having an instinctive affinity for autocrats and the super-wealthy.
Mr Trump has in recent days demanded Mr Zelensky quit as leader, signed a 'treacherous' deal with Mr Putin to buy Russian diesel and blamed the Ukrainian leader for spiralling energy prices.
'He [Mr Trump] speaks about it openly and loudly that he loves such people and he respects such people. Because for him people who can be leaders 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, it means they can be very strong,' Mr Zelensky said.
Washington has piled pressure on Kyiv to stop striking Mr Putin's refineries, claiming that a moratorium, alongside a US deal with Moscow to buy hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian diesel, is necessary to bring down American fuel prices.
Despite Ukraine’s honouring of the ceasefire, Mr Zelensky said his military had been left without US early-warning alerts for incoming ballistic missiles, while Mr Musk’s Starlink satellite communications service had been slowed down across the nation, interfering with frontline operations and medium-range strikes against Russian military sites.
The Ukrainian leader said his military officials were told by their US counterparts that 'if you will not stop [the energy strikes], we will block intelligence', although it was subsequently presented to Kyiv as a technical error.
'It was not a technical problem, it was the will,' Mr Zelensky told the FT.
The US president earlier denied that Washington had cut off intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Mr Musk posted on X late on Wednesday that Starshield systems, the military-grade satellite network built on Starlink technology, were 'owned and controlled by the US government'.
'Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,' he said, referring to Mr Trump.
The breakdown in relations between Kyiv and Washington comes as American officials have proposed that European countries unfreeze some Russian sovereign assets immobilised after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The assets would be transferred to a vehicle overseen by Washington in an attempt to revive peace talks.
European delegates rebuffed the plan, which was pitched by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, the FT said.