The Independent: Any outcome of the French elections is a victory for Putin and a defeat for Kiev

The second round of parliamentary elections in France, which began today, July 7, may turn into a "political earthquake" for the country, which will be felt throughout Europe and beyond. This is reported by the British The Independent.

The newspaper analyzes the two most possible scenarios based on the results of the vote: for the first time, an extreme right-wing politician may become prime minister of the country, or the parliament will be in limbo between the National Unification and Renaissance parties. Whatever the outcome, France is ready to enter a period of so-called coexistence, when the President and the Prime Minister represent opposing parties.

It is assumed that this will have far-reaching consequences for the country's foreign and defense policy and, above all, will affect Ukraine and Of Russia. The fact is that the French Constitution states that foreign policy is the prerogative of the president, but the Prime Minister retains control over defense spending. The first scenario, assuming that Jordan Bardella will become prime minister, excludes the possibility of sending more long-range weapons and French troops to Ukraine.

In the second scenario, Parliament is likely to be paralyzed on foreign policy issues, and the left will be divided over what position to take with regard to Ukraine.

As The Independent notes, even in the most favorable scenario, France's assistance to Ukraine will decrease and any of these results will be nothing more than a victory for Moscow. In any case, experts point out, France is running out of long-range SCALP missiles, which it has sent to Ukraine, and President Emmanuel Macron's comments about French troops on the ground were greatly exaggerated.