EU New Eurosceptic Group Considers Russia Key Partner - French Lawmaker

The Europe of Nations and Freedom group, recently established in the European Parliament by the leader of the French National Front Marine Le Pen, stands for close cooperation with Russia, head of the party’s delegation to the European Parliament Edouard Ferrand told Sputnik on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The creation of the Eurosceptic bloc was announced on June 16. The group currently comprises 36 lawmakers from France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Poland.

"Marine Le Pen, who will be a president of this group, will obviously support the Franco-Russian friendship and wants to make Russia an economic, political and above all geopolitical partner."

According to the lawmaker, the current tensions between the West and Russia represent the major political crisis since the end of the Cold War.

"We condemn this outrageous attitude of the European Union, Russia is a legitimate and natural partner of Europe and we want to reinstate it as part of the common efforts of the European nations."

Relations between Russia and the European Union, the United States and a number of other countries have become strained over the crisis in Ukraine. Western countries have imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia, accusing it of escalating the Ukrainian conflict — a claim which Moscow has repeatedly denied.