Marine Le Pen: EU sanctions hit Europe more than Russia

The sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia have hurt rather Europe itself, French parliamentarian Marine Le Pen told a news conference in Paris on Tuesday.

"These sanctions have only made the population of European countries suffer. This is a failure of the sanctions policy," Marine Le Pen said. "The reality is that we are victims of these sanctions more than Russia," the politician said. According to her, this repeats the situation when sanctions were imposed against Russia in 2014.

"Contrary to the claims of European governments, Russia’s economy is not on its knees," the politician stressed. "Russia is selling more gas and moreover at higher prices today than before the sanctions were imposed," she said. Russia "has found other trade partners," Marine Le Pen noted.

She expressed hope that the sanctions policy would be reconsidered to avoid Europe's facing the threat "of blackout in the absence of gas supplies".