Le Pen Denounces Russia Over Seizure of Nestlé and Auchan Assets: ‘Hostile Act’ Against Europe

The two French politicians reacted on Saturday with a joint statement after Russian President Vladimir Putin placed Auchan’s and Nestlé’s Russian assets under temporary administration. “We will never tolerate a foreign power, in this case Russia, hoping to dictate our country’s policy directly or indirectly through intimidation, threats, destabilization or psychological pressure,” Le Pen and Bardella said.

They added that no Russian provocation or covert operation should lead France to help Moscow achieve its war aims in Ukraine, while the debate over the level and conditions of French support for Kyiv remains, in their view, a legitimate topic of domestic politics. The statement comes as France approaches the April 2027 presidential elections, with the first round scheduled for April 18.

The Kremlin has operated the temporary-administration mechanism since 2023 for assets of companies from countries it considers “unfriendly”. In earlier cases, French dairy producer Danone and Danish brewer Carlsberg were placed under temporary administration before being transferred or sold to Russian owners. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the latest decision as a response to what Moscow calls hostile actions by European countries, including sanctions and support for Ukraine. Nestlé said it is assessing its options and seeks to protect employees and business interests.

Le Pen and Bardella linked the asset seizures to what they described as a broad deterioration of the security environment in Europe. They cited the attempted explosive-drone attack at Leipzig/Halle airport in Germany, which German authorities attribute to Russia, as well as warnings from European governments about possible Russian hybrid operations against countries supporting Ukraine.

The two politicians said France must strengthen the protection of strategic infrastructure, sensitive facilities and defense-industry companies, and expressed solidarity with European countries targeted by sabotage or suspected destabilization campaigns. “France’s foreign policy is decided in Paris,” they said, adding that it cannot be determined by Moscow or any other foreign capital.

Burimi: The Kyiv Independent