MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Macron said that France should not move closer to Russia and needs more independence in its foreign policy. The Kremlin spokesman commented on the statement by saying that Moscow expects consensus on the need for dialogue with Russia will prevail in France.
“Macron, who spoke against anti-Russia sanctions just a year ago, now is calling for a much tougher stance on Russia in order to differentiate from his rivals… Most likely Macron, if elected president, will use some variation of current Hollande’s policy on Russia,” Kosachev, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian upper house of parliament, said.
Macron needs to differentiate himself from his counterparts in the election, French National Front party leader Marine Le Pen and The Republicans' Francois Fillon, both of whom are willing to develop relations with Russia, the lawmaker added.
“Marcon’s statement is not a revelation: he is open about his Atlantic beliefs, despite positioning himself as a non-system candidate,” Kosachev underlined.
Hollande has repeatedly expressed his stance against Russia's politics over the years. Most recently, he said that Russia's participation in resolving international conflicts can be explained by an aspiration to test the ability of Western countries to counteract and resist.
Macron served as the minister of economy under Hollande in 2014-2016.
According to polls, Macron has been tied with Le Pen in the first round of the presidential election scheduled for April 23. He is expected to easily beat the National Front leader if they both make it to the May 7 run-off.
