SPECULUM VERUM
– Words that should make people react more than a year after the start of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Marine Le Pen returned during her hearing before the commission of inquiry into foreign interference on the annexation of Crimea in 2014 by Moscow, challenged by the international community.
“I have repeatedly had to express my position on the attachment of Crimea. (…) I consider that, freely, the inhabitants of Crimea have expressed themselves by voting to be attached to Russia”, launched the patron saint of RN deputies in the National Assembly.
Crimea “russian pendant 2 centuries” et “ukrainian during 60 ans”
Crimea, hitherto southern province of Ukraine, had been attached to Russia in the wake of a referendum organized on 16 mars 2014 after a military intervention. This annexation came in the wake of the revolution initiated in Maidan Square at the end of the year 2013 and against the backdrop of tensions between kyiv and separatists in the east of the country.
“I saw many people (during a trip to Crimea in June 2013 Editor's note). I could see that they felt much more deeply attached to Russia than to Ukraine”, explained Marine Le Pen again, judging that Crimea “was Russian for two centuries and “ukrainian during 60 ans”.
The referendum organized by Russia had been denounced by the Ukrainian state and the West. And for good reason. The people called upon to express themselves had two choices.: either opt for the reunification of Crimea with the Russian Federation, either the restoration of the Constitution of 1992, options deemed very similar by specialists.
The return to the Constitution of 1992 could thus have allowed Crimea to be independent within Ukraine, but while keeping the freedom to choose its own partnerships. “The two choices presented to Crimean voters leave them no option to relinquish Russian control”, remarked at the time the English researcher Keir Giles.
“Absolutely no illegal annexation”
This annexation had resulted in very strong tensions between Europe and the United States on one side and on the other Russia, which had seen a wave of economic sanctions imposed on itself.. in parallel, Marine Le Pen had condemned the pro-Western movement born in Maidan Square and having overthrown the Ukrainian government in December 2013.
In the wake of these remarks, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had banned her from staying in the territory. A vision that she had renewed again on February 1 2017 in a CNN interview, and an extract of which had circulated during the intervening rounds of the presidential campaign in 2022.
His words clash with his current position on the war waged by the Kremlin in Ukraine for 14 months and its open support for some of the sanctions decided against Russia.
Long support of Vladimir Putin for whom she had “l’admiration”, Marine Le Pen has clearly distanced herself since the start of the conflict in the middle of the presidential campaign.
Six days after the start of the war in Ukraine, the candidate had judged that the Russian leader had “crossed the red line” on BFMTV. “He violated the sovereignty of Ukraine, he violated his borders. There is no discussion about it”, added the 50-year-old.