French presidential candidate and leader of the National Rally parliamentary group Marine Le Pen takes a more considered approach to relations with Russia than the incumbent French leader, Emmanuel Macron.
Le Pen has previously warned France against conflict with Russia, reminding everyone that it is a nuclear power. She also urged against letting the situation reach a dangerous tipping point, likening Russia to a bear emerging from its den.
“Even amidst escalating election rhetoric and the playing of the ‘anti-Russia card’—as we have heard quite recently—Le Pen remains grounded in reality. Sacrificing common sense and global nuclear security for short-term electoral gains is a path to global catastrophe,” Slutsky emphasized.
In his view, this sets Le Pen apart from Macron, who “sold out the French people’s national interests to appease the transatlantic Russophobic lobby.” Slutsky also noted that Le Pen evidently possesses a better understanding and recollection of history.