Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky backed his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Sunday’s election, urging his opponent, far-right lawmaker Marine Le Pen, to “admit your mistake” in supporting Vladimir Putin.
“I have a relationship with Emmanuel Macron and I do not want to lose it. If the candidate understands that she was wrong, our relationship can change. But as a head of state, I know that today I do not have the right to influence what is happening in her country “, the president said in an interview with the radio French BFM-TV on Wednesday (20).
The letter refers to the fact that Le Pen was considered persona non grata in Ukraine in January 2017 for his call for Putin’s unilateral annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The far-right actress is living in a very precarious situation at the moment due to her connections with the Russian government, which even financed part of her last presidential campaign in 2017 through a financial institution, amounting to almost €9 million.
Le Pen condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, but last week defended the need to “reconnect” between NATO and Moscow after the conflict ended.
In a bid to win the presidential election, the National Rally candidate has softened her extremist rhetoric and managed to climb in the opinion polls. However, most polls show Macron leading her by about 10 percentage points in the second round. .
