How Ukraine divided the French left and where the risks for Kyiv lie
France’s far left is not the favourite for the Élysée in 2027.
But it can shape parliamentary majorities and coalition red lines.
For Ukraine, the question is not "left or right", but which left sets the terms.
Read more about the political forces on France’s left flank, their prospects in the upcoming elections and the risks for Ukraine in the article by French journalist Charlotte Guillou-Clerc: More dangerous than communists: how La France Insoumise became a problem for Ukraine.
While French left-wing parties speak a common language on social policy, unfortunately this is not the case when it comes to Ukraine.
The Socialists and the Greens are closer to the pro-European mainstream and have generally taken a firmer line on supporting Ukraine.
La France Insoumise puts the emphasis on restraint. It condemns Russia’s invasion and accepts that Ukraine must be helped, including with equipment. But it repeatedly insists on parliamentary control and frames the central risk as escalation, or co belligerence.
On Ukraine, the Communists lean towards ceasefire priority and escalation warnings.
When the French debate shifts to troop deployment scenarios, the Communists have publicly rejected the idea, warning against a slide into direct confrontation and arguing that any deployment would require an international mandate. They also often bring in democracy, rule of law and labour-rights criticism of Kyiv.
If the left wins the Elysée through a coalition, Ukraine policy becomes a bargaining problem.
The social-democratic and Green wings would agree on support for Kyiv and a stronger EU security posture.
But the radical pole would likely seeks to limit its political support: less NATO framing, delays, narrower definitions of "support", and constant pressure to trade Ukraine files for domestic priorities.
Fortunately for Ukraine, nothing in today’s polling suggests an easy far-left path to the Élysée.
The French far left does not enter 2027 as a front-runner. In several IFOP scenarios published in autumn 2025, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, one of the most prominent figures in the French leftist movement, is measured at around 12–13% in the first round, far behind the leading right-wing and centrist figures.
But France is politically fragmented, and the next parliamentary majority may again depend on coalitions, that is where the far left’s leverage sits.
It may not win the presidency, but it can still shape what a future government is willing to sustain on weapons, sanctions, and the language of European security.