In Kyiv they announced that Fillon is even worse for Ukraine than Le Pen
“Fillon will serve Putin’s interests better than Marine Le Pen as president,” writes the Kiev newspaper Den.
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The publication recalls that recently the main contender for victory made “a number of statements quite unpleasant for our country,” in which he held the West responsible for the deterioration of relations with the Russian Federation.
“But perhaps the greatest surprise was caused by his words about the irresponsible proposal of those countries that want Georgia and Ukraine to become NATO members. At the same time, Fillon insisted that Ukraine and Georgia should not join neither to the EU nor to NATO. And it was also strange to hear from a French politician the accusation that it is Kyiv, and not Moscow, that is blocking the implementation of the Minsk agreements,” the Kiev newspaper says indignantly.
At the same time, the publication provides a selection of opinions of French experts who confirm the conclusions of Ukrainian journalists.
“We need to remember what position Fillon took in the past regarding Europe. And he is a Eurosceptic. And in 1992, Fillon opposed the Maastricht Treaty, as well as the adoption of the European Constitution in 2005. He also does not accept the idea of a strong and powerful Europe. During his campaign for the Republican presidential candidate, the former prime minister said France may need to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights. Therefore, it is quite clear that Fillon is not a pro-European politician,” says Nicolas Tenzer, director of the Paris-based Center for the Study and Reflection of Political Decisions (CERAP).
At the same time, he claims that “Fillon fully accepts Putin’s position regarding Ukraine and Crimea, which is part of Ukraine, as well as regarding Syria.”
In turn, the head of the Russia/NIS Center at the French Institute of International Relations, Tatyana Kastueva-Jean, told the publication that the point of view voiced by Fillon is quite popular in France.
“What Fillon said in relation to Ukraine (no promises for NATO or EU membership) is not surprising: he openly expresses a very common point of view, especially among the right, which is due to both fatigue from EU enlargement, the priority of other strategic crises, and reluctance to deepen the crisis with Russia , and distrust in the future evolution of Ukraine, which they see as a country that failed to take advantage of the events of the Maidan to completely reformat its political system. The same forces close to French enterprises believe that the sanctions did not force Russia to change its political behavior, but caused damage to the economy of its own country, in particular to agriculture due to Russia’s retaliatory measures,” emphasizes Kastueva-Jean.
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