PSG defender Illia Zabarnyi answers Marine Le Pen over aid to Ukraine

Saturday night at La Meinau, the mixed zone was meant to talk about the comeback: Strasbourg led for an hour, Zabarnyi equalised from an Ousmane Dembélé assist, and PSG won 3-1 with ten men after Nuno Mendes went off injured. The Ukrainian defender talked about the match, then about something else.

“It is a political subject. Emmanuel Macron helps Ukraine a lot. It is very important for us,” he said, before taking the thought to its end: “I hope that when a new president is elected, he will keep helping Ukraine, because we defend not only Ukraine but all of Europe.”

After the call to stop French aid

His answer named one president only: Emmanuel Macron. The statement follows the declarations of Marine Le Pen, who wants to stop French financial aid to Ukraine, a line So Foot ties to the 2027 presidential election.

The 24-year-old, born in Kyiv, joined PSG from Bournemouth in September 2025, and the subject is no discovery for him. “In my country, a total war has been raging for four years. The Russians are aggressors who try in vain to destroy the freedom and independence of Ukraine,” he told the Ukrainian show Football 360, adding that he has “no relationship with the Russians”. The PSG dressing room houses the Russian goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, and Zabarnyi backs the complete isolation of Russian football. For him, staying silent would already be taking a side: the microphones at PSG keep Ukraine in the conversation.

A week that ends in the treatment room

His post-match verdict leaned on the collective: “We conceded the first goal, we kept going, we improved, we took the three points. Playing with ten or nine is not a problem. We always play together. We win together.”

Two days later, he made the case for Dembélé, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner and one of the 30 nominees for the 70th ceremony: “Clearly, yes. We have a lot of people who deserve that trophy. Ousmane is one of them.”

On Tuesday at the Parc des Princes, against Barcelona in the Champions League, Dembélé went off in the 19th minute, injured behind his left thigh, straight down the tunnel. RMC Sport gives no severity and no scheduled scan, and the match was still running when this piece went out.

On Sunday, the Parc hosts Lyon on matchday 8 of Ligue 1: the top two, level on 14 points, Lyon ahead on goal difference. On Tuesday night, PSG traded around 1.43 with 1xbet, Lyon at 7.60. Those prices predate the injury, and Lyon won 2-1 at the Parc last April. Before touching the market, hold until the exact extent of Dembélé’s thigh problem is known. 18+. Only bet what you can afford to lose.