The Straits Times World News
· collected 2026-09-06 · by The Straits Times
Jordan Bardella, president of France's far-right National Rally party, suggested that Ukraine should pay European countries for their financial and military assistance. He stated that France's finances require a return on investment from its support for Ukraine, which has been resisting Russian aggression for over four years. According to Bardella, the US model of demanding guarantees in exchange for loans and resources is preferable, citing access to rare earths as an example. His comments come as Ukraine allies worry about potential changes in European policy if National Rally candidate Marine Le Pen wins France's 2027 presidential vote.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
France’s far-right chief Jordan Bardella wants Ukraine to pay for Europe’s help
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Ukraine → want → help
PARIS – Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally party, said France’s unconditional support for Ukraine should be replaced by a more transactional relationship with the embattled country.
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support → say → country
France’s tattered finances require squeezing a return in exchange for its military assistance to Kyiv, which has been resisting a Russian onslaught for more than four years, said the 30-year-old
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which → require → years
who is a likely prime minister if Marine Le Pen wins 2027’s presidential vote
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Pen → win → vote
“We are drowning in debt.
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We → drown → debt
We are drowning in deficits.
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We → drown → deficits
And it is irresponsible to make spending commitments and promises of financial support to a country without any guarantees,” Bardella told Bloomberg TV on Sept 5 at the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, Italy.
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Bardella → make → Cernobbio
“Everything needs to be reviewed,” Bardella said.
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Bardella → need → ?
He praised the US for demanding that Ukraine give something in return for support, mentioning access to rare earths in the guarantees for the loans and resources.
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Ukraine → praise → loans
He said France would not abandon Ukraine should Le Pen, the National Rally’s candidate to succeed President Emmanuel Macron triumph.
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Pen → say → Macron
But he suggested that Ukraine could guarantee that the financial support it gets from European countries is used to purchase equipment exclusively from the defence industry in those states.
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it → suggest → states
Le Pen consistently tops surveys for first-round voting intentions, causing fears among Ukraine allies that the military, economic and political support provided by Macron could be at risk.
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support → top → risk
Le Pen once had close links to Russia.
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Pen → have → Russia
She met Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2017 shortly before the presidential election that she lost to Macron for the first time.
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she → meet → time
It is unclear how many times they met; her party got a loan from a Russian bank to finance that campaign, money that has since been repaid.
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that → meet → campaign
Ties have cooled since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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Ties → cool → 2022
Ties with Trump
Bardella’s comments came as Putin ordered Kremlin troops not to fire on Kyiv for three days, during the visit to Moscow of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax.
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Peskov → come → Interfax
Macron has sought to coordinate the European response to Moscow’s war on Ukraine and raise France’s standing as a stalwart ally and leader of the West.
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Macron → seek → West
Bardella, in contrast, described a world view and policy portfolio more in line with US President Donald Trump.
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Bardella → describe → Trump
In a nod to the 80-year-old US President and the US technology giants whose influence the European Union has sought to curb, Bardella criticised EU regulations.
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Bardella → seek → regulations
He said France could use its abundant nuclear energy sources to attract the data centres needed for artificial intelligence.
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France → say → intelligence
“What I do not want is for France to fall behind in a way that would undermine its competitiveness in new technologies in the coming years,” he said.
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he → want → years
“We have in France the best AI researchers.
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We → have → researchers
So we need to recreate the conditions for an economic ecosystem that supports the development of our start-ups, such as Mistral, as well as everyone who wants to invest in artificial intelligence.”
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who → need → intelligence
Bardella, who arrived in Italy from Britain, where he spoke to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party conference in Birmingham, sees the prospect of continued ties with like-minded leaders in the US.
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he → arrive → US
“Donald Trump, like many of the world’s major leaders today, speaks the language of power, sovereignty and the defence of the national interest,” Bardella said.
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Bardella → speak → interest
“And it is precisely because we both speak the language of patriotism and of defending our respective countries that we are capable of having constructive discussions.”
“We are moving towards a world that, in reality, respects only strength.
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that → speak → strength
We have to recognise that and take it into account,” Bardella said, adding that leaders who display weakness or naivete will be crushed by great powers.
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who → have → powers
