WARSAW, December 6. /TASS/. The tensions around Ukraine are in part the fault of the EU as it encroached on Russia’s area of influence, French presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen said, Poland’s Rzeczpospolita reported.
"The EU played the role of a firefighter-pyromaniac in this matter," Le Pen, presidential candidate and leader of the National Rally party, said in an interview with Rzeczpospolita published on Monday. "You can say whatever you want, but Ukraine belongs to Russia's sphere of influence."
"By trying to violate this sphere of influence, tensions and fears are created, and the situation we are witnessing today is reached," she said. Le Pen said she doubted Russia will attack Ukraine.
There’s a more pressing task at hand, she added. "We should all fight together against the real threat that looms over Europe: Islamism," she said.
France should play a balancing role in world affairs, according to Le Pen. She criticized the US, saying it dragged some other countries into "so many unnecessary wars that led to the extraordinary expansion of Islamism in the world" and tried to impose "extraterritorial rules to whittle down the work of European companies."
"I am critical of both America and Russia in many respects," she said.
There’s been a flurry of statements in the West lately that Russia could invade Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said they were unsubstantiated escalation and that Russia doesn’t threaten anyone. At the same time, he didn’t rule out provocations to corroborate these Western statements and warned that the use of force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine will have serious consequences.
Peskov has also stated that Russia does its best to help Ukraine in settling the conflict, while holding on to the Normandy Format and the Minsk agreements. Russia has stressed it’s not a party to the Donbass conflict and called for the implementation of the Minsk agreements, which it signed as a mediator.