Zelensky Says Believes Next French Govt Will Back Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told AFP Thursday he believes France will continue to support his country on the battlefield and that its next government should be independent from Russian influence and pro-European.

French President Emmanuel Macron -- now one of Ukraine's most prominent advocates in Europe -- has called snap elections with polls showing a surge in support for Ukraine-sceptic far right parties.

Two decades of relative stability, which had largely seen the president and the prime minister working in harmony, now look set to be shattered.

"We believe that the French will continue to support Ukraine regardless of the political situation," Zelensky told AFP in written comments.

"Likewise, by the will of the French people, the next government will continue to comprehensively support Ukraine both on the battlefield and on our historically irreversible path to the EU," he added.

The far-right National Rally (RN) under its president Jordan Bardella has a clear lead in opinion polls ahead of Sunday's first round of voting in France's parliamentary elections, followed by the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition with Macron's centrist alliance in third.

Opponents have long pointed to the warm ties that the National Rally has enjoyed with the Kremlin in the past as well as a massive loan that the RN's previous incarnation, the National Front, received from a Russian bank in 2014, which it has since repaid.

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Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Moscow had hit Ukraine using a new-generation intermediate-range missile -- which he hinted was capable of unleashing a nuclear payload.

Bardella vowed this week to be "vigilant" in the face of any Russian threats but also said his party would not send troops into Ukraine if it wins.

Macron had earlier rattled his European partners by saying he would not rule out the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine.

"We are confident that the next government will be independent from the Russian aggressor and will remain true to European values and a strong and united Europe," Zelensky said.

"Exactly the kind that Ukraine protects from Russian tyranny. One that wants to become a member," he added.