Moscow — Russia’s Intervention in the American elections last year was not so visible compared to what we watched this week ahead of presidential elections in France.
The vote, which will be held in two rounds on April 23 and may 7, will change the policy, the defense system and the economy in Europe more radically and with greater benefit to Russia — even compared to the chaos that was caused by the questionable victory of Donald trump in the United States.
But on Friday, Putin spoke in support of the candidate for the candidacy of marine Le Pen, which adheres to far-right views, is against EU, against NATO, against immigrants, against the United States for trump.
Of course, Putin stated: “We in any case do not want to somehow influence what is happening [in France] events”, but his government took Le Pen as if she had already settled in Paris at the new place as head of state.
According to the Deputy editor of the independent radio station “Echo of Moscow” Olga Bychkova, the reception accorded to Le Pen in Russia, was impressive. “First, she held meetings with the leadership of the state Duma [Russian Parliament], then took her to the Kremlin to the exhibition devoted to France, and then she met with Putin. Such programs Moscow will organize for heads of state,” — said Bychkov.
The French news publication L’express also noted this strange fact, calling it “absolutely exceptional” the fact that Putin accepts presidential candidate on the eve of elections.
In 2014, when the party “national front”, led by Le Pen, are unable to obtain loans in French banks, it turned to Russia and received millions of dollars in a credit institution, which no longer exists. Putin received from her party’s support on the issue of the annexation of Crimea. She repeatedly accused Washington of unleashing a new cold war. Therefore, many have suggested that Le Pen arrived on Friday to Moscow as a staunch ally in the hope of receiving additional funding.
For some time we will not be able to know the results of the financial transaction (information on the initial credit received as a mutual service for the recognition of Crimea, was disclosed by hackers).
“Did she get the money for his campaign or not, she came to Russia to get Putin’s support, and she has already received,” — said Bychkov.
In fact, the meeting with Putin was much more impressive than a loan. The Russian President made a bet (and maybe even stated his law) in addressing the issue of the presidency of the country, which is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and was one of the founding members of the European Union. After several decades of alienation in relations with NATO in the last decade, once again became a key member of this Alliance.
Victory for Le Pen would be for Putin is extremely bright and joyful triumph, and he seems to think that his support (direct or indirect) might be helpful.
Of course, a significant part of the French political class seems to be encouraging him in this regard.
In the first major televised debate held Monday between the five main contenders for the French presidency, three of them managed to copy the Moscow’s position on key issues.
Le Pen has expressed skepticism towards NATO and the European defense system. These issues are discussed very actively, since the administration trump showed unfriendly attitude toward the traditional North Atlantic Alliance that Russia hates and dreads.
Le Pen said that protects “the freedom of the French” and doesn’t want to “force our soldiers to participate in wars, the question of the beginning of which was decided not we.” And so — farewell to the main article of the NATO Charter on collective defense.
Leftist candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon (Jean-Luc Mélenchon), grey and assertive, like badger, in the debate became the darling of the crowd, even though according to polls, he lags considerably behind the leaders. “The world has once again become very dangerous,” he said. — I want to be President of the world. It is necessary to conclude a security agreement from the Atlantic to the Urals. It’s time to discuss the border”.
It must be Putin it’s nice to hear these words — because he already tries to do this by using different forms of hybrid warfare in all of its European borders, bringing terror even to his old Belarusian ally, Alexander Lukashenko.
But Mélenchon seems to be no chance to win in the first round of voting, scheduled for April 23.
The initial favorite for the race, which could reach the second round and speak out against Le Pen on may 7, was françois Fillon (François Fillon), who served for five years as Prime Minister under former President Nicolas Sarkozy (Nicolas Sarkozy).
He also “sang” to Putin during a debate on Monday, supporting the proposal of Jean-Luc Mélenchon and declared that “the main principle, which is the right of people to determine their own future.” In the context of this involves people in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, the fate and the future of which is now pulled back into a new Russian Empire, and who in this respect have almost no voting rights.
Not that the borders in Europe never changed, said Fillon, citing the example of Kosovo, which in 1999 was actually released from the barbaric Pro-Russian government created the genocide of the Serbian President. According to him, for solving problems in the middle East, France should cooperate with Russia and Iran. About US he didn’t say a word.
But Putin would not be in the moment to put on a Fillon (as if they are each other nor understand), because a series of scandals Fillon, who once was the most likely contender is now in the race to finish third.
Journalists of the French satirical weekly Le Canard Enchainé, the investigative and is not published on the Internet a few weeks ago published the information about Fillon. They found that Fillon (claiming that is committed to small, like the Thatcher government, in favor of lowering taxes, reducing the number of civil servants and reducing the level of social protection for employers in the private sector and calls for the reduction of 500 thousand jobs in the public sector), appointed his wife and two children for public office. There they received a salary for the work that they supposedly did not fulfill or did not have special qualifications. And as a result, his family received from the state budget about a million dollars.
On Wednesday, after the debate, Le Canard Enchainé reported that the Lebanese owner of the pipeline consortium has paid a consulting firm Fillon 50 thousand dollars and promised to pay a percentage of revenue to him, among other things, organized a meeting with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the conference, held in St. Petersburg in 2015.
Therefore, when all the friendship of the Fillon and Putin and for all the ideological harmony between the President and ultralevel “badger” Mélenchon Kremlin ambitious player decided on Friday to choose Le Pen. For NATO and the EU, it is, without a doubt, is the most destructive President. She seems pretty confident the likely leader in the first round of the French elections. The question now is whether it can maintain this momentum in the second round — and against whom.
At the moment this opponent is probably Emmanuel macron (Emmanuel Macron), a boyish looking 39-year-old ex-banker the Bank of Rothschild & Cie Banque and the Minister of economy, who last year resigned from the deeply unpopular socialist government of President françois Hollande and founded the centrist movement “Forward” (En Marche!), which received the support of the left and the right.
Macron during the Monday debate and at every opportunity, strongly supported the EU and NATO and is wary of the malign “deconstruction”, which the President of the United States Donald trump and his ideology are encouraged in Europe.
When Le Pen, who tried during the debate to laugh at Him to keep him quiet, said that he spoke for seven minutes, but did not say, he replied short and sharply.
“Unlike you, I don’t want to enter into a contract with Putin. I want to see… in Europe, France”.
According to the latest poll tracking conducted Thursday by the Institute IFOP-Fiducial among voters who intend to vote the macron in the first round ahead of Le Pen by 1%, and in the second round he can win with a margin of 61.5 per cent to 38.5%. But given what we saw last year in the case of trump and Brexton grounds for complacency there. Many voters are still undecided, and many of them can just stay at home. And with the scatter of 30%, the chances are the same as in the game of Russian roulette with two bullets in the six-shot revolver.
Could Putin pull the trigger? Now the representatives of the electoral headquarters of Macron complain due to massive hacker attacks.
FBI Director James Komi (James Comey), speaking earlier this week in Congress, expressed surprise at the fact that his alleged secret intervention in the American elections, “the Russian was acting unusually defiant”, and “it seemed like they almost don’t care that we know about it.”
But all this is minor compared to the fact that we are now witnessing during the election campaign in France.
People can let go of the grim jokes about trump, calling him Putin’s candidate. And against Le Pen now there is absolutely no doubt.
