“Those who defend our values once morest Putin’s friends are the ones I want to work with,” she said at a press conference in Brussels alongside EPP group leader Manfred Weber.
U. von der Leyen, who announced a few days ago that she will seek a second term as the head of the EC, was asked if she would cooperate with a parliamentary majority made up of right-wing European conservatives and reformists.
Noting that the elections will change the composition of European Parliament factions, she drew a red line for parties considered pro-Russian.
“It is important that I work with pro-European, pro-NATO, pro-Ukrainian groups that clearly support our democratic values,” she replied.
“Putin’s friends: impossible,” U. von der Leyen added.
Elections to the EP will be held on June 6-9.
Polls show that far-right parties will make a big advance in the elections.
One of the two far-right blocs in the parliament, Identity and Democracy (ID), includes several parties considered pro-Russia. These include Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) in France and Matteo Salvini’s League in Italy.
The second right-wing bloc, the European Conservatives and Reformists group, has so far maintained an anti-Moscow stance, but that may soften if the pro-Russian Hungarian leader Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party joins it following the election, which has expressed a desire to do so.
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2024-05-01 19:02:36
