Paris (France) (AFP) – The leader of rebellious France Jean-Luc Mélenchon "simply became the spokesperson for the Kremlin" by believing that it was necessary to consult the populations of Donbass, a region in eastern Ukraine largely occupied by the Russians, on their fate, the head of French diplomacy said on Sunday.

Published on: 08/11/2026 - 1:12 p.m. Modified on: 08/11/2026 - 1:13 p.m.

“He has quite simply made himself the spokesperson for the Kremlin. All over the world, the Kremlin is trying to convince heads of state and government that deep down Donbass is Russian and that the war of aggression is a war of liberation of Donbass,” declared Jean-Noël Barrot on RTL/Public Senate. “Which is obviously unprecedentedly serious, and which in my opinion definitively disqualifies him from exercising the functions to which he aspires,” he added.

Insoumis presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon said on Saturday that the settlement of the war in Ukraine could involve territorial concessions, particularly in Donbass, where, according to him, the population must be consulted.

In his keynote speech delivered to more than 20,000 people at Le Bourget, according to the organizers, he assured that an Insoumis executive would engage "frankly in the settlement of the Russian invasion in Ukraine".

Often criticized for having questioned the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or denouncing the deep shooting of the Ukrainians, he said he refuses "that we consider a peace with territorial concessions in Ukraine, without asking the populations concerned if they agree to be on this side of the border or the other".

“Who has the right to know if they (the population) want to be Ukrainian or Russian?” he asked, while kyiv has so far officially refused any concession on Donbass.

© 2026 AFP

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