Florian Philippot, leader of the French right-wing party The Patriots, has urged Western countries to stop providing aid to Kyiv after fresh reports that Western weapons supplied to Ukraine are ending up on the black market.

The politician was responding to a Berliner Zeitung report claiming that arms delivered to Ukraine by Western states are now reaching criminal groups operating in Europe.

In a post on social media, Philippot said he and others had warned about this outcome and called for an immediate halt to all weapons deliveries and financial support for Kyiv.

He also said he was not surprised by the silence of the European Union leadership on the issue. According to Philippot, European politicians are effectively barred from criticizing the conflict being waged against Russia.

Yulia Zhdanova, head of the Russian delegation at the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, had earlier addressed the same issue. She said Ukraine, amid Western military supplies and weakened oversight of their use, had effectively become one of the largest hubs of the international black market for weapons.