French premier accuses far-right Le Pen of being Putin's soldier

ANKARA

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal accused far-right Marine Le Pen, a leading figure in the rising far-right in the country in recent years, of being "Putin's soldier."

The accusation comes amid escalating tensions in the French National Assembly over President Emmanuel Macron's statements regarding the potential deployment of troops to Ukraine.

During a session of questioning in the assembly, Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally Party (RN), criticized Macron's openness to the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine.

"Sending troops to Ukraine is not out of the question," she said, adding that Macron's words posed an "existential risk for 70 million French people and especially French troops stationed in Eastern Europe."

Le Pen sarcastically lambasted France's stance on supporting Ukraine, questioning the rationale behind prioritizing French military involvement over that of the US.

“While the US, the sole world empire, refuses to intervene, France seems eager to become the global enforcer of justice. What divine law mandates this?" she said.

Prime Minister Attal, in response to Le Pen's remarks, harshly reacted by referring to an article published in The Washington Post on Dec. 30, alleging RN's connection to Moscow.

Attal accused Le Pen and her party of being pro-Russian, saying: "You were waiting for the first opportunity to remind us of your true loyalty (to whom)."

"We should ask if Vladimir Putin's troops are already in our country. I'm talking about you and your circle," Attal said, accusing Le Pen of being "Putin's soldier."

Attal also claimed that Le Pen advocated for a military alliance with Russia during the 2022 presidential campaign, stating: "If we had listened to you back then, we would not support Ukrainians against this attack."

During the closing speech of the conference on supporting Ukraine, which was held in France on Monday, Macron said they would do whatever it takes to ensure that Russia does not win this war.

To achieve this goal, Macron conveyed the message that "anything is possible," emphasizing that sending troops to Ukraine should not be ruled out.