Excerpt from a bizarre meeting between Vladimir Putin and pugnacious French conservative Philippe de Villiers, who was in Moscow to promote a War of 1812 theme park --
PHILIPPE DE VILLIERS: There’s something else I wanted to say with the press here. I want to say that in the hearts and minds of many Europeans, President Vladimir Putin is a much more respected figure, who they would much rather emulate than the majority of European leaders.
VLADIMIR PUTIN: Thank you very much.
PHILIPPE DE VILLIERS: French farmers know full well who began this [Ukraine] war and who set this spiral of sanctions in motion. They know full well that it was the euro-commissioners in Brussels, who blindly follow what their American partners tell them to do. I think that Europe needs a voice now that would tell the other story and that would be heard. Though you can barely hear this voice right now, but it belongs to France.
PHILIPPE DE VILLIERS: There’s something else I wanted to say with the press here. I want to say that in the hearts and minds of many Europeans, President Vladimir Putin is a much more respected figure, who they would much rather emulate than the majority of European leaders.
VLADIMIR PUTIN: Thank you very much.
PHILIPPE DE VILLIERS: French farmers know full well who began this [Ukraine] war and who set this spiral of sanctions in motion. They know full well that it was the euro-commissioners in Brussels, who blindly follow what their American partners tell them to do. I think that Europe needs a voice now that would tell the other story and that would be heard. Though you can barely hear this voice right now, but it belongs to France.