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The leader of the far right in France and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen today defended in front of the media her ties with Russia and Vladimir Putin after the start of the occupation by Ukraine.
Le Pen, who according to opinion polls will advance to the final round of the April presidential election against Emmanuel Macron, has faced criticism after a leaflet campaign that included a photo of her with the Russian leader.
Her party, the Rassemblement National (National Rally), already denies that its officials destroyed the remaining part of the documents that were distributed last month.
Some of her eight-page leaflets highlight Le Pen’s international status illustrated with photos of world leaders, including Russian leader Putin. The document can still be viewed on Le Pen’s campaign website .
Le Pen was in Moscow when he met with the Russian leader before the 2017 presidential election. In October 2014, his right-wing party, then called the National Front, borrowed € 9mln from a Russian bank to finance the campaign.
Le Pen has criticized the Russian occupation of Ukraine and says the brochure campaign has not damaged sj’s reputation.
In a recent poll by Ifop-Fiducial and Paris Match, it is suggested that it has gained support points reaching 17%, while Macron was ranked at 28%. Le Pen’s right-wing rival Eric Zemmour and the traditional Les Républicains opposition to candidate Valérie Pécresse stood at 13% of the vote.
The local daily Libération wrote that party officials had been ordered to destroy the leaflets but Le Pen’s party refused to give such an order.
“The document continues to be distributed by our activists,” said RN spokesman David Rachline.
“We will not deny our position in international politics as in 2017 we cooperated with Russia in the fight against ISIS.”
Le Pen told French media that the war had “partially” changed her view of the president. “The invasion of Ukraine is a flagrant violation of international law and absolutely unjustifiable,” she said, according to Britain’s The Guardian.
“We have tried to explain it but we have not been able to justify it,” Le Pen said, adding that it should be Europe and not the US that manages the situation.
“Russia is a great power, a great nuclear power, and it is on our continent so it is we who must find solutions to live with it.”
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