Kyiv has warned French presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen of consequences for undermining Ukraine's "sovereignty and territorial integrity." The far-right leader claimed Crimean citizens "wanted to join Russia."
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Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday threatened to bar France's Marine Le Pen, who heads the far-right National Front party, over comments she made concerning Russia's illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.
"Making statements that repeat Kremlin propaganda, the French politician shows disrespect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and completely ignores the fundamental principles of international law," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"In this regard, we remind that such statements and actions in violation of the Ukrainian legislation will necessarily have consequences, as it was in the case of certain French politicians, who are denied entry to Ukraine," it added.
Earlier Wednesday, Le Pen claimed that the 2014 referendum, declared illegal by the UN General Assembly, was not illegal.
"There was a referendum. The citizens of Crimea wanted to join Russia," Le Pen told French broadcaster BFMTV.
Relations between Ukraine and Russia have soured since Moscow launched a campaign to retake the peninsula, home of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, in the wake of pro-European protests in Kyiv that pushed pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych out of office in February 2014.
The annexation of Crimea exasperated hostilities in Ukraine's eastern regions, prompting pro-Russia rebel forces to launch an insurgency that has left around 10,000 people dead and affected more than half a million children, according to UN figures.
How radical is Europe's right?
Sluggish economic growth, dissatisfaction over the European Union's policies and the migration crisis have led to the electoral success of right-wing parties across Europe.
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Frauke Petry, Alternative for Germany (AfD)
The leader of the Alternative for Germany, Frauke Petry, said police could use guns as a last resort to prevent illegal border crossings, pointing out "that's the law." What began as a euroskeptic party has turned into an anti-establishment and anti-EU force, claiming up to 25 percent of votes in German state elections in March 2016 and taking second place in Chancellor Angela Merkel's home state.
Image: Reuters/W. Rattay
Marine Le Pen, National Front (France)
Many believe Brexit and Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential elections could give new impetus to France's National Front. Established in 1972 and now led by Marine Le Pen, who took over from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2011, the National Front is a nationalist party that uses populist rhetoric to promote its anti-immigration and anti-EU positions.
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Geert Wilders, Party for Freedom (The Netherlands)
The leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom, Geert Wilders, is one of Europe's most prominent right-wing politicians. He was convicted in December for asking a crowd in 2014 if they wanted more or fewer Moroccans in the country, but no penalty was imposed. His party is considered anti-EU and anti-Islam. It is leading polls ahead of next year's parliamentary elections and currently holds 15 seats.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Koning
Nikos Michaloliakos, Golden Dawn (Greece)
Nikos Michaloliakos is the head of Greece's neo-fascist party Golden Dawn. He was arrested in September 2013 along with dozens of other party members and charged with forming a criminal organization. Michaloliakos was released in July 2015. Golden Dawn won 18 seats in parliamentary elections in September 2016. The party holds anti-immigrant views and favors a defense agreement with Russia.
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Gabor Vona, Jobbik (Hungary)
Hungary's anti-immigration, populist and economic protectionist party Jobbik aspires to be in the government by 2018. Now Hungary's third-largest party, it won 20 percent of votes in the last elections held in 2014. It wants a referendum on EU membership. Jobbik also advocates criminalizing "sexual deviancy," submitting a bill targeting homosexuals in 2012. Jobbik is headed by Gabor Vona.
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Jimmie Akesson, Sweden Democrats
After Trump's election, Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Akesson said in an interview with Swedish TV: "There is a movement in both Europe and the United States where the establishment is being challenged. It is clearly happening here as well." The Sweden Democrats call for restricting immigration, are against allowing Turkey to join the EU and want a referendum on EU membership.
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Norbert Hofer, Freedom Party (Austria)
Norbert Hofer of Austria's nationalist Freedom Party lost the recent presidential runoff by a mere 30,000 votes, after being front-runner in the first round. Former Green party leader Alexander Van der Bellen won 50.3 percent of the vote, with Hofer gaining 49.7 percent. The Freedom Party's leader campaigns for the strengthening of the country's borders and limiting benefits for immigrants.
Image: Reuters/L. Foeger
Marian Kotleba, People's Party - Our Slovakia
The leader of the hard-right People's Party - Our Slovakia, Marian Kotleba, has said, "Even one immigrant is one too many." On another occasion, he called NATO a "criminal organization." This Slovak party favors leaving the EU as well as the eurozone. It won 8 percent of the vote in March 2016 elections, securing 14 seats in the country's 150-member parliament.
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Finance controversy
Meanwhile, Le Pen told the French broadcaster that her party is lacking 6 million euros ($6.3 million) for her 2017 presidential campaign.
She has asked foreign institutions, including Russian banks, for backing since domestic banks have rejected financing her campaign, Le Pen said.
In 2015, leaked text messages between Russian officials revealed an apparent cash-for-recognition scheme ahead of the Crimean referendum, reported French investigative news site Mediapart.
Shortly after the referendum, when her then-diplomatic adviser Aymeric Chauprade reportedly acted as an "observer" of the referendum, the National Front's financial arm received two loans from Russian-backed banks, amounting to approximately 11 million euros, according to media reports.
However, Le Pen has consistently denied that a deal took place in exchange for the recognition of the referendum's results.
Russia's business daily "Kommersant" reported last month that the government's deposit insurance agency filed a lawsuit against the National Front party to recuperate borrowed funds after revoking the operating license for the Moscow-based First Czech-Russian Bank, which funded at least one of the loans.
