Does aid to Ukraine deprive the European Union’s freedom?

Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, a deputy in the National Assembly (DLF), leader of the party "Get up, France", and ex-candidate for the presidency of France believes that the current leadership of the country has lost freedom of decision, has fallen into dependency on the United States and spends money that should have been spent on itself, to fund Kyiv. Is this true? - asks Gabriel Lavigne.

The European Union has become one of the leading partners of Ukraine during the Russian full-scale invasion. The Western partner has provided financial, humanitarian, and military support. Particularly, from their national budgets and the EU budget, Ukraine has received almost 60 billion euros of aid, 10 of which – for Ukrainians who left the country and fled the war to the European Union. Additionally, the EU has allocated over 500 million euros for humanitarian aid for civilians affected by the war.

The EU has already allocated 3.6 billion euros through the European Peace Fund to strengthen the capabilities and resilience of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and protect its citizens from military aggression. This financing is aimed at the purchase of combat equipment, "platforms designed for the delivery of lethal force for defensive purposes", equipment, personal protective equipment, first-aid kits, and fuel. EU has also established a special mission, dedicated to the training of the Ukrainian military.

Despite such aid, European countries continue insisting on the aid’s expansion, particularly in terms of military equipment. However, some politicians from European Union do not support the aid to Ukraine. Recently, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, deputy of the National Assembly (DLF), chairman of the "Stand Up, France" party, and ex-candidate for the presidency of France, has stated that the new foreign leadership of the country deprives the country’s freedom of decision-making, has fallen into dependence on the USA and spends money on armaments of Ukraine, which should be spent on itself:

"An independent foreign policy is based on economic strength, military budget, nuclear deterrence, and freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is a consequence of our power, but with Emmanuel Macron, everything is the opposite. He no longer has freedom of speech. He is forced to go to China with Mrs. Von der Leyen, who is watching over him. He obeys Joe Biden. Macron is no longer free. But the worst thing is that the money of the French, the money that should go to the national defence of the state, is being paid to Zelensky. And we don't know what Zelensky is doing with this money, since he himself is only a pawn" - the French politician thinks.

The leader of the right-wing party also questions the "financial integrity" of Zelenskyi and his team and expresses fear that the multibillion-dollar aid to Ukraine does not justify itself and turns the European continent into a huge "battlefield:”

"We remember how he (Zelensky) was mentioned in the infamous documents testifying to major financial frauds. At the same time, I have information that, according to the international bank, France paid Ukraine 7.7 billion euros. I remind you that France's annual defence budget is 43 billion euros... By financing Ukraine, we are turning Europe into a battlefield, to the delight of arms dealers."

The politician takes a position hostile to Kyiv regarding the war in Ukraine, believing that its cause is the failure to grant the Russians in the Donbas a "special status".

"The Russian population lives in Donbas, which had Ukrainian citizenship and which should have acquired its special status - autonomy, which was enshrined in the Minsk agreements. Today, instead of trying to defuse the situation, we are sending billions of euros to arm Ukraine at a loss itself, bringing all of Europe out of order."

Nicolas Dupont-Aignan ends his reflections on the current crisis with a thesis about the "historical mistake" of the West, which by its actions brings Russia closer to China and the need to "hear the voice of reason" regarding what is happening in Ukraine:

"By continuing to strengthen NATO, we are pushing Russia into the arms of China. This historical madness will isolate Europe for the next 50 years. We must hear the voice of reason regarding what is happening in Ukraine, and, for this, France must return to de Gaulle's "real policy."

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