Putin makes French connection, hosts far right candidate Le Pen in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin made his preferences in the French presidential election clear Friday by hosting far-right candidate Marine Le Pen at the Kremlin, but analysts are sceptical about Russia’s ability to sway the outcome of the vote.

Embracing Le Pen is part of Russia’s efforts to reach out to nationalist and anti-globalist forces to build up its influence in the West and help overcome the strains in relations with the US and the European Union.

Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential vote has emboldened the Kremlin, even though the ongoing US Congressional scrutiny of his campaign ties with Russia has all but dashed Moscow’s hopes for a quick detente. US intelligence agencies have accused Moscow of hacking to interfere in the 2016 US election.

During Friday’s meeting with National Front leader Le Pen, Putin insisted that Russia has no intention of meddling in the French election and only wants to have a dialogue with a variety of politicians. He praised Le Pen, saying she represents part of a “quickly developing spectrum of European political forces.”

Le Pen’s anti-immigration and anti-EU platform appeals to the Kremlin, which has postured as a defender of conservative national values against Western globalisation. She also has called for strong security ties with Moscow to jointly combat radical Islamic groups, promised to work to repeal the EU sanctions on Moscow over its 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and pledged to recognise Crimea as part of Russia if she’s elected.