“You talk to your banker when you talk about Russia, that’s the problem,” said Emmanuel Macron during a tense exchange devoted to the war in Ukraine. “I am an absolutely and totally free woman,” reacted Marine Le Pen.
Le Monde with AFP
At the big ritual debate of the between-second-tours, Emmanuel Macron accused, Wednesday, April 20, Marine Le Pen of “depend on Russian power” and “Mr. Putin” for “contracted a loan with of a Russian bank “.
“You speak to your banker when you talk about Russia, that’s the problem, M me Le Pen,” said the president candidate during a tense exchange devoted to The war in Ukraine. “Mr. Macron, it’s wrong and it’s pretty dishonest,” reacted me Le Pen. I am a woman absolutely and totally free. “
The candidate felt that it was not a coincidence that five years ago, Russia had intervened in the presidential campaign to his detriment. “You have always been ambiguous on the subject because you are not in a power power situation, which you can not defend correctly on this subject the interests of France, because your interests are related to nearby people Russian power, “he added by addressing his opponent for the second round, Sunday, April 24th.
A loan of 9 million euros
The candidate had been received with great pomp by Vladimir Putin during the 2017 campaign and his party continues to reimburse a loan of 9 million euros from a creditor related to former Russian military. “It’s a long way to repay and we reimburse under the control of the National Commission of Campaign Accounts [and political financing]”, which “is extremely severe and rigorous,” said M me the Pen.
m. Macron also criticized it for being “one of the first European political leaders, as early as 2014, to recognize (…) the annexation of Crimea” by Russia. “Crimea did not have to ask you a lot of problems either, since you received Mr. Putin with a great pump at Versailles” then “in Bronzon, at your vacation spot”, answered M me Le Pen. And Mr. Macron answer: “I received Mr. Putin as a head of state, but not like a banker, M me Le Pen.”
The candidate of the national rally expressed his “solidarity and [his] compassion absolute with the Ukrainian people”. “The aggression of which Ukraine has been victim is not eligible,” she considered. She greeted “the efforts” developed by the president “to try to find, in the name of France, the means, the voices of peace”.
m. Macron repeated that his priority was to “avoid the enlargement of the conflict, because we are the vassals of people, and progressively brought back Russia to reason”.