"We need to speak openly with Ukrainians and tell them that their entry into NATO is not on the agenda," Pecresse said in an address to her voters at Zenith Arena in Paris.
Pecresse, who has been head of the metropolitan Ile-de-France region since 2015, advocates for a strong European Union and a hard-line approach to the United Kingdom due to Brexit. Since the announcement of her candidacy, Pecresse has voiced support for a tougher approach to the issue of migration in France, seeing it as a "serious social problem." Among other measure, she has proposed to introduce maximum annual migration quotas and strict conditions for obtaining a residence permit. In addition, Pecresse wants to exclude people who have lived in France for less than five years from the social security system.
French presidential election will be held in April. Incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron has not yet officially announced his intention to run for a second term.