France Vows to Compensate for U.S. Pause in Military Aid to Ukraine

French prime minister François Bayrou spoke before the French National Assembly, addressing the situation concerning Ukraine amidst the recent halt of U.S. military aid. He stressed that France is committed to gathering “all available resources” to counterbalance the U.S. decision to suspend military support, according to Le Figaro on March 4.

France will strive to “gather all possible resources,” along with other European countries, to compensate for the freeze in U.S. military aid to Ukraine, which will need ammunition, “a number of systems for intelligence,” as well as “access to networks and connectivity,” said Bayrou.

Bayrou added, “On Friday night, in the Oval Office of the White House, a staggering scene unfurled before the lenses of the entire world, marked by brutality, a desire to humiliate, with the goal of making Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fold through threats, so that he gives in to the demands of his aggressors.”

French officials, including President Emmanuel Macron, are seeking alternative solutions to support Ukraine, although tensions between France and the United Kingdom rose over the potential seizure of $350 billion in frozen Russian assets to fund military aid for Ukraine, which would be particularly directed to the U.S. defense industry.

Earlier, Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, condemned the White House’s decision to halt military aid to Ukraine. Le Pen criticized the move as “reprehensible” and “cruel” for Ukrainian soldiers defending their country. This marks a shift in her rhetoric toward the Trump administration.