Analysis: The French election takes Europe to the brink, again
Since the invasion, Le Pen pivoted, expressing solidarity for the plight of the Ukrainian people. But she still argues against providing Ukraine heavy weaponry or banning Russian oil and gas imports, and wants to push for a NATO-Russia rapprochement that would likely come at the expense of Ukrainian political aspirations.
“We have no illusions about who she is, who she represents and the political agenda she has been promoting for years,” said Rihards Kols, head of the foreign affairs committee in Latvia’s Parliament,“If she wins, Putin wins,” former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta . “And European integration will lose, as it will stop and backpedal. And populist, anti-European ideals will take root in other European countries.”This was Macron’s line of attack when he and Le Pen sparred in a pre-election debate Wednesday night.
“You depend on the Russian leadership and you depend on Mr. Putin,” Macron claimed. “You talk to your banker when you talk about Russia.” Le Pen countered that she was “an absolutely and totally free woman” and warned about the risk of pushing the Kremlin closer to Beijing and creating a “Russian-Chinese superpower.”
Le Pen sought to shift the conversation to domestic matters, including the state of the economy and rising inflation. Capitalizing on a view shared by many in France, including voters who would usually not side with the far right, she speaks of how Macron’s agenda has benefited wealthy elites more than the average French person.
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