Expert: Talking with Putin about Ukraine will help Macron win votes

French President Emmanuel MacronPARIS, Apr 8Constant contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin against the backdrop of Russia's special operation in Ukraine can give French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been nominated for a second term, additional votes, giving him the image of a peacemaker and a major figure, the leader of the French People's Republican Union party, a presidential candidate, told RIA Novosti. Presidential elections in 2017, François Asselino.» Candidate Emmanuel Macron was very lucky in the difficult times we are now living: the presidential election coincided with France's six-month presidency of the European Union. Macron, in the minds of many French people, is temporarily the «President of Europe,» Asselino said. At the same time, he noted, Macron was given an unexpected status by Ukrainian events. «Macron calls President Putin every few days and wants to impress the French that he is too busy with the geopolitical tasks of the mediator, that he does not have time for the election campaign,» the expert added. .Makron before the start of the election campaign campaign announced that he would not participate in the debate with his opponents, although this made him the object of criticism from their side. Asselino believes that this situation irritates Macron's opponents, but they can do little about it: he will probably be able to win enough votes to be re-elected. «The only possibility for his second-round challenger, which is likely to be Marine Le Pen, is that too many of his voters see the outcome of the election as settled and may not bother to vote,» he said. agency interlocutor.Macron responded to reproaches for regular calls to PutinAnother point not in favor of Macron is the scandal over his ties with the American consulting firm McKinsey, which, in particular, advised the French government on a vaccination campaign, but did not pay a single eurocent of taxes in France for the last 10 years. The first round of presidential elections in France will be held on April 10. The presidents of the Russian Federation and France have been in constant contact in recent months and discuss issues related to the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» bloody crimes against civilians» of Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and, on March 25, they completed the main tasks of the first stage — they significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.