Le Pen's attitude to the war in Ukraine
As the head of the National Rally, Marine Le Pen has repeatedly expressed her support for the Kremlin's policies. She called Russian President Vladimir Putin "the defender of the heritage of European civilization."
During Russia's annexation of Crimea, representatives of Le Pen's political party acted as observers for the so-called referendum.
"In my opinion, the results of the referendum are not in dispute. It was expected. And the people of Crimea, who lived in fear, rushed into the arms of the country they came from because you know that Crimea has been part of Ukraine for only 60 years," Le Pen said.
In the spring of 2014, Marine Le Pen declared her support for the Luhansk People's Republic terrorists and said that she shared the same values with Putin and wanted Ukraine to be federalized.
She called on Europe not to impose sanctions against Russia and to stop seeing Russia as an enemy, as it was allegedly Europe that was contributing to the escalation of tensions in Ukraine.
However, Le Pen condemned Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
"By invading Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russia provoked a war on the doorstep of the EU and a geopolitical crisis that is undoubtedly the most dramatic in the last twenty years. We are obliged to express our respect and support to the Ukrainian people under attack," the politician said.
At the beginning of the large-scale war, she supported Ukraine's accession to NATO. "I believe in the sovereignty of nations: if Ukraine wants to join NATO, if that is their will, I don't see who can oppose it."
In April 2023, Le Pen said that Russia's victory in the war would be a disaster, but if Ukraine won, "World War III would begin." According to her, if Western countries continue to slowly supply weapons to Ukraine, they will face a "new Hundred Years' War."
