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Le Pen says France’s National Front receives no funding from Russia

Marine Le Pen said the National Front is facing great difficulties in obtaining loans from French banks and therefore is forced to look for sources of financing from foreign lending institutions

PARIS, March 27. /TASS/. France’s National Front cannot obtain loans from national banks but does not receive any funding from Russia, the political party’s leader and presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen told Europe 1 radio station on Monday.

"No," the politician stressed, answering a question if Russia or its banks "were somehow linked to financing" her election campaign and the activities of the National Front.

Le Pen said the National Front is facing great difficulties in obtaining loans from French banks and therefore is forced to look for sources of financing from foreign lending institutions. "I’ll tell you about it [loans from abroad] as soon as everything is signed," she said.

The campaign’s budget has not been set and the party continues looking for money, she noted. "French banks refused to grant me loans. They provided loans to all candidates running in the French presidential election, except for me," Le Pen emphasized.

On Friday, Marine Le Pen visited Moscow and met with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. The sides did not discuss the election campaign’s financing by Russian banks at the meeting, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "I do not think this [financing by Russia] is possible," Peskov told reporters.