Von der Leyen launches EU campaign by slamming Marine Le Pen’s party as ‘Putin’s friends’

BUCHAREST — Ursula von der Leyen launched her campaign for another five years running the European Commission by taking aim at France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party, led by Marine Le Pen.

“We have seen very clearly that the Rassemblement … question the European Union, and that they are friends of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin so you cannot rely on them,” she said at a press conference, shortly after being confirmed as the lead candidate for her center-right European People’s Party (EPP) at a congress in Bucharest, the Romanian capital.

The National Rally has been forced to bat away accusations of ties to Russia since 2014, when it obtained a €6 million loan from a Russian company. The controversial loan has since been paid off and the RN continues to deny any links with Moscow, saying such allegations are part of a “cabal” against the party.

The RN launched its campaign ahead of the June European election last weekend in Marseille, with Le Pen putting her own name symbolically on a list led by MEP Jordan Bardella.

Von der Leyen’s attack on the RN came in response to a question about the stance of the French EPP party, the Republicans, who pointedly did not support her at a vote held on Thursday, after fuming about her attendance at a campaign event with French President Emmanuel Macron last year.

“We want to hold the center,” von der Leyen said, dodging the question, and reiterating her conditions that the parties the EPP will collaborate with must be pro-EU, pro-Ukraine and in favor of upholding the rule of law.

Some of the EPP’s member parties are in government with far-right parties, such as Italy and Finland.

The National Rally is part of the Identity and Democracy group in the European Parliament, along with the likes of the Danish People’s Party (PVV) and the Alternative for Germany (AfD).