Emanuel Macron’s approach to Vladimir Putin did not help prevent a war in Ukraine, but his diplomatic efforts made him “battle” as the French presidential election approaches, and that boosts his chances, according to Bloomberg.
From Eric Zemmour on the far right to Jean-Luc Melenchon on the far left, opponents accuse Macron of being naive because he believed Putin was someone to think about. And they try to focus the national debate on key issues such as climate change, purchasing power and crime. Ukraine, however, is what is gaining voters’ attention at the moment.
The French president, the clear favorite to win in April, called on Putin for talks in Versailles within weeks of taking office in 2017, saying it was important to keep the channels of communication open. He spent the next five years calling for a “new security architecture” and calling terrorism, not Russia, Europe’s biggest threat.
After the invasion of February 24, Macron’s stance hardened. By insisting that sanctions against Russia could be costly for Europe and trying to allay Putin’s security concerns, he has pushed European pressure for tough sanctions and arms shipments to Ukraine.
All this time, Macron’s official photographer has been releasing behind-the-scenes footage of a hard-working, more accessible president than ever before. According to a recent Ifop poll, voters are happy with his handling of the crisis.
The nationalist leader, who is trying to soften the views of her anti-immigrant party, has strongly condemned the Russian invasion.
However, Lepen said Crimea, which Russia annexed eight years ago, was never Ukrainian. She also said she admired Putin, whom she visited in Moscow in 2017. Some members of Le Pen’s party have been embroiled in controversy this week over the distribution of leaflets with photos of the meeting, which are still on her campaign website.
In 2014, Le Pen’s party borrowed 9 million euros ($ 9.8 million) from a Russian bank to finance its election campaigns. He says that while he has no regrets, Putin has crossed the red line. In a poll of around 18%, he is likely to face Macron in the second round of voting.
The right-wing Republican candidate speaks Russian and has said she participated in communist camps in the Soviet Union as a teenager. He has called Putin an enemy of France and argued that any candidate who ever “defended” Russia should be discredited.
Valerie Pekres’ party was brought under control at the beginning of the tensions. But François Fillon, who lost to Macron in the 2017 election and is close to many of his campaign members, may have been tempered by his resignation from the board of the Russian petrochemical group Sibur and of the state-controlled oil company Zarubezhneft. Gathers 15% in polls.
The former TV columnist has spoken out against the invasion, but boasts that he is the only candidate who would not accept Ukrainian refugees coming to France. He once said that he dreamed of a “French Putin”, that he would welcome a treaty to stop the expansion of NATO and that Ukraine does not exist as a country.
His support has fallen slightly in recent polls to 14% and his embarrassment is becoming apparent. Last week, a France Info presenter said Zemour canceled an appearance because he wanted to avoid questions about his “position in favor of Putin.”
The best performer among the left-wing candidates has also radically changed his position. Party leader France Unbowed had initially taken an ambiguous stance on Putin, saying the idea of Ukraine joining NATO posed a threat to Russia. He now says that war could turn into a “generalized conflict that could threaten humanity.”
On Wednesday, Melanson was criticized by other lawmakers in the National Assembly for criticizing the European decision to send weapons to Ukraine. The Ifop poll shows that Zemmour and Melenchon, who hold 11 percent of the vote, are the two candidates whose Russian seats are most influential.
The Greens and France Unbowed are competing to replace the Socialists as France’s main left-wing party. Yannick Jadot has long been critical of Russia and has sought to oust Melenchon over his ambiguous stance, demanding transparency from the Macron government over the type of military equipment to be sent to Ukraine. Loses in the polls at 5%.
Source: Capital
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