'We must support all possible diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire and impose peace on Russia so that Ukraine regains its full sovereignty,' Le Pen wrote.
The far-right candidate, who will face off against incumbent French President Emanuel Macron this Sunday in a runoff election that could shape the way France responds to the war, condemned the latest assault by Russia in a tweet Monday afternoon as she aims to distance herself from Putin.
"I condemn Russia's offensive against the Ukrainian people in Donbas," Le Pen wrote in the translated Tweet."We must support all possible diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire and impose peace on Russia so that Ukraine regains its full sovereignty." Her tweet came as Russia launched an all-out assault on the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday. The Donbas includes two provinces — Luhansk and Donetsk — which have been controlled by rebel separatists for years. Russia has also claimed it sought to liberate the two areas from Ukraine ahead of the invasion in March and formally recognized the two areas as independent nations before the military crossed into the country.
French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, who has previously shown support for Vladimir Putin, condemned Russia’s assault on Donbas. She is set to face off against President Emanuel Macron in the second round of elections.A Le Pen victory could change how France, the third-largest army in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (