Russia not trying to interfere in France election, says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said that his government does not want to interfere in the April 23 election of France.

Putin said this on Friday when he met with French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen in Moscow.

US authorities have accused the Russian government of using cyber-attacks to meddle its presidential election last year.

The Kremlin has adamantly denied those allegations.

Putin told Le Pen that Russia was not trying to exert any influence on the French race, “but we retain the right to communicate with all representatives of all political forces of the country, as our partners do in Europe and the US”.

He said it was interesting to discuss development of bilateral relations with the far-right French candidate, whom he called a representative of a rising movement in European politics.

Le Pen noted Russia’s role in the fight against international terrorism and called for closer French collaboration, saying “only together can we overcome this scourge”.

Le Pen, who leads the National Front party, said the West’s poor relations with Russia are unjustified.

Russia and France should work together in the face of two great challenges – globalization and Islamic fundamentalism, Le Pen said.

She described France as no longer fully sovereign by ceding many powers to the European Union, especially in economic matters.