Daniel Cohen: Vladimir Putin’s war blows up France's election

Even if the outcome of the French presidential race seems clear, it seems no less clear that the collateral effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are likely to complicate politics in France and elsewhere in Europe.

Emmanuel Macron, left, reaped the political benefits of the Ukrainian war while Marine Le Pen, right, whose far-right contingent could recompose itself and become a powerful bloc capable of taking power one day, 

Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine has had a powerful impact on the French presidential campaign. Before the Russian invasion, there were three Putin supporters among the leading candidates: the far left’s Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the far-right contenders Marine Le Pen and Éric Zemmour.

While Le Pen has proudly staged photo ops with Putin (in 2017), approved of his annexation of Crimea, and presided over a party that received loans from Russian banks, Zemmour has expressed his admiration for Putin, whom he has described as a “patriot.” And Mélenchon, for his part, has long advocated a French exit from Nato, reflecting his anti-Americanism and affinity for the Latin American left of Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez.