MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The first round of the French presidential election is slated for April 23, while the run-off is expected to take place on May 7. According to a recent Elabe poll conducted for BFMTV and L’Express, Fillon is projected to come third in the first round of the election with 19 percent of votes, staying behind far-right National Front (FN) party leader Marine Le Pen and independent candidate Emmanuel Macron, both of whom are set to receive 23.5 percent of votes.
"I'll do anything to lift sanctions against Russia, which led to nothing but to the ruin of the French farmers," Fillon was quoted as saying by his team on Twitter.
"Je ferai tout pour lever les sanctions contre la Russie, qui n'ont abouti à rien, sauf à ruiner les agriculteurs français." @FrancoisFillon
— FILLON 2017 (@Fillon2017_fr) 6 апреля 2017 г.
Fillon pointed out that in case he won the presidential race, he would ensure maintaining dialogue with Russia, Iran, Turkey and the United States.
"Confrontation with Russia is pointless. I seek a dialogue between us," the presidential hopeful said, referring to the disagreements between the West and Russia on settlement in Syria.
Relations between Moscow and the West deteriorated in 2014 after Crimea voted to reunite with Russia and as military clashes escalated in eastern Ukraine. The European Union and the United States imposed numerous sanctions against Russia over Moscow's alleged role in the Ukrainian conflict, a claim Russia has repeatedly refuted as untrue.
