Vladimir Putin will try and help Marine Le Pen defeat Emmanuel Macron in the upcoming parliamentary election in France because he wants to “destroy” him, the Russian President’s former speechwriter tells the Daily Express.
The French President has called the snap vote after a disastrous European elections for his party. Le Pen’s National Rally party won about 32 percent of the European Parliament vote, more than double that of Macron’s Renaissance party.
The result comes amid a growing trend of far-right parties surging in the polls, seen in other countries such as Germany, Austria, and Italy with the latter’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Jordan Bardella, National Rally’s lead candidate for the European elections, called Macron a “weakened president” as polls show the French leader could be headed for defeat.
While the vote will focus on domestic issues, Putin’s former speechwriter tells the Daily Express that the Russian President will have a part to play in the campaign.
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Abbas Gallyamov, who worked with Putin from 2008-2012 during his stint as Russian Prime Minister, says Putin wants to “destroy” Macron.
He said: “I don’t know how exactly he will do it. But Putin will use all the means he has to make sure Macron loses.
“Macron is an enemy for Putin. His statements about Ukraine are a reason why he will want to destroy Macron.”
Macron has been one of Europe’s most vocal leaders on the war in Ukraine, suggesting that NATO troops could be stationed in the country despite fury in Moscow over such a plan.
The Kremlin issued a statement on Macron’s snap-election, saying it will it will keep a close eye on the vote given the “openly hostile” attitude of the French government towards Russia.
Mr Gallyamov added that Putin wants to see the far-right surge across Europe in the hope this could see the collapse of the European Union.
He added: “Definitely Putin is trying to help the far-right in Europe. There is a lot of proof of this. There is no doubt he would see far-right victories as a good result for himself.
“But I think the success of the far-right is the reaction to the domestic European agenda. It is a reaction of regular citizens to too much progressivism. They have had enough.
“People don’t like things like this. It isn’t like Putin and Ukraine are the dominant factor.
“Putin, if he manages to, will want to split the EU. But even if he doesn’t the division now is already a kind of achievement for him.”
Le Pen has always denied that her party has links to Russia or the Kremlin.
Last year, a French parliamentary report found that her National Rally Party had served as a “communication channel” for Russian power.
Le Pen’s party also once took a loan from a Russian bank, something she says the party had no choice but to do in order to raise funds because French banks were reluctant to fund her.