MEDVEDEV MELTS DOWN AS LE PEN DRAWS A LINE AGAINST MOSCOW
Dmitry Medvedev has lashed out at Marine Le Pen after she described Russia’s takeover of Auchan’s assets as a “hostile act.”
Medvedev accused France of “Russophobia,” attacked its military assistance to Ukraine and claimed Le Pen’s National Rally had become an ordinary European party supporting “Nazis in Kyiv”—the Kremlin’s familiar response whenever a foreign politician refuses to follow its line
The outburst is predictable. Le Pen’s changing position is far more notable.
Le Pen and National Rally President Jordan Bardella declared that they would not tolerate Russia attempting to dictate French policy through threats, intimidation, destabilization or psychological pressure
For a movement long criticized over its historical closeness to Moscow, this represents a significant public break. It does not erase Le Pen’s previous positions or suddenly make her unequivocally pro-Ukrainian, but it demonstrates how Russia is losing political ground among European parties it once viewed as sympathetic.
The Kremlin’s reaction shows that it noticed. The moment Le Pen defended French interests and rejected Moscow’s pressure, Medvedev treated her as another enemy.
Russia may be discovering that political relationships built on convenience disappear quickly when Kremlin pressure finally reaches home.
