Support for Ukraine Could Weaken After Europe’s 2027 Elections

France, Poland, Italy and Spain will hold elections in 2027. In all four countries, additional defense spending is already being increasingly pitted against funding for social programs. At the same time, Keir Starmer is stepping down as Britain’s prime minister.

“The danger is that all of this is happening precisely when Ukraine is in particularly urgent need of sustained strategic support from Europe. The coming months will be decisive for Kyiv—as will the decisions its allies make before winter arrives,” the article says.

Die Welt urges European governments to establish mechanisms for long-term assistance to Ukraine before the end of the year—“before election campaigns in France and elsewhere restrict the scope for action.”

The publication devotes particular attention to France, where a presidential election is scheduled for April 2027. The newspaper writes that “Macron’s days are numbered,” while Marine Le Pen is gaining ground in the polls.

Europe’s ability to maintain a unified policy will be in doubt after the departures of Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer, Die Welt argues. The publication questions whether German Chancellor Friedrich Merz can rally and mobilize the allies on his own.

“Macron is one of Europe’s most important strategists on the war in Ukraine. Leaders of this kind are likely to disappear from the political stage soon—at which point Kyiv will have to prepare for difficult times,” security expert Kobzova said.