French election results strain relations with Moscow

Moscow has no "hope" or "illusions" that the results of the French elections will improve relations between the countries, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. The unexpected winner of the elections turned out to be the left-wing New People's Front.

Many reports by Russian media or government representatives are elements of propaganda. These reports are part of the information war waged by the Russian Federation.

The New People's Front won 182 seats, surpassing President Emmanuel Macron's centrist camp with 168 seats and the right-wing National Rally (RN) with 143 seats, which led after the first round.

Putin's spokesperson commented on the election results, indicating that he does not expect an improvement in mutual relations. "For Russia, the best thing would be a victory for political forces ready to make the efforts to restore our bilateral relationships," Dmitry Peskov said. "Right now we do not see such a political will clearly expressed by anyone, so we do not harbour any hope or particular illusion on this matter," he added.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of the Russian Duma, showed more optimism, stating that the French "showed Macron the door." "The same fate awaits all currently ruling European leaders who meddle in the sovereign affairs of other states, while their citizens demand they solve internal problems and develop the national economy," he emphasized in a statement posted on Telegram.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also commented on the results, criticizing the second round. "The second round, apparently, was conceived precisely in order to manipulate the will of voters during the first round. This is not very reminiscent of democracy," he said.