Kremlin rejects Le Pen/Bardella rebuke, says Russia is no threat to France
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow poses no threat to France or Europe after the National Rally leaders condemned Russian intimidation.
- On Saturday, National Rally leader Marine Le Pen and party chief Jordan Bardella rejected Russian "intimidation," stating that Russia cannot dictate French policies through "intimidation, threats, destabilisation or psychological pressure."
- The statement followed a meeting on Friday where French President Emmanuel Macron convened political leaders to discuss escalating Russian hybrid threats and plans to protect critical infrastructure and defense sites.
- This distancing occurred after the Kremlin ordered the seizure of Russian subsidiaries of major French businesses and Swiss food giant Nestle, labeling the move a blow against "unfriendly countries" backing Ukraine.
- On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the criticism, stating that "Russia therefore poses no threat whatsoever; it threatens no one and blackmails no one."
- As the front-runner for next year's presidential election, Marine is distancing the National Rally from its historical image of being friendly toward Moscow, including a 9.4-million-euro loan from a Russian bank paid off in 2023.
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33 Articles
After downplaying President Emmanuel Macron's warnings about the threats posed by Russia, Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella released an unusual statement expressing mistrust of Moscow.
There are frictions between Moscow and the National Rally. While Marine Le Pen's party has long been accused of complacency with Russia, the candidate in the presidential election of 2027 and her right hand Jordan Bardella issued a press release on Saturday 19 September to display a distance with Moscow, which cannot "hope to dictate the politics" of France "by intimidation".
Russia Rebukes Le Pen, Bardella Over Claims Moscow Intimidating France
French National Rally party president Jordan Bardella (R) listens as Marine Le Pen (L) speaks at the Pavillon Chesnaie du Roy in Paris, on June 9, 2024. (Julien de Rosa/AFP via Getty Images)
Kremlin claims Russia ‘no threat’ in response to Le Pen and Bardella
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russia posed “no threat” to France or any other European country, responding to a statement criticising Moscow issued by Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella on Saturday.
The Kremlin rejected statements by Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella and denied that Russia was threatening France.
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