French Election 2022: Le Pen backs ‘rapprochement between Nato and Russia’
French presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen has committed to a “rapprochement between Nato and Russia” if she gets elected.
The right-wing candidate, who is facing off against incumbent Emmanuel Macron on 24 April, made her comments after a poll showed her as being on 47 per cent, to her rival’s 53.
She said at a news conference: “As soon as the Russian-Ukrainian war is over and has been settled by a peace treaty, I will call for the implementation of a strategic rapprochement between Nato and Russia”.
This comes after Macron accused her of a secret plan to take France out of the EU, and having a pro-Russia stance.
She said the statement was aimed at “correcting” perceptions, but it did not stop a protestor being dragged out of the press conference by security, after waving a portrait in the shape of a heart, of Le Pen meeting Vladimir Putin.
Le Pen also made a commitment to take France out of the command of Nato, adding it “in no way implies submission to Moscow”.
“I would place our troops neither under an integrated Nato command nor under a future European command.”