Marine Le Pen’s Ties to Russia May Come Back to Haunt Her

Nationalist leader Marine Le Pen’s warm ties to the Kremlin haven’t been a problem for her so far, even after Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. She joined widespread condemnation of the war, and reeled in voters to finish a close second in the first round of France’s presidential election.

But now that Le Pen has a real shot at being elected French leader as she takes on Emmanuel Macron in an April 24 runoff vote, her links to Moscow are coming under closer scrutiny. While she’s tempered her enthusiasm for Putin over the past five years, and hasn’t met with him during that period, her previous comments were so fawning that she’s finding it hard to move past them. She also continues to advance views seen as pro-Russian.