Europe’s Elite Was Beholden to Russia. Then Came Ukraine.
A chill wind is blowing through political parties and corporate boardrooms with ties to Moscow.
Putin and Schroeder in 2005.
Photographer: JOSE GIRIBASThe French call it retourner sa veste — to turn one’s coat to fit the changing political times. And with widespread international condemnation of Russia growing as its forces close in on Ukraine’s capital, there is a lot of coat-turning happening across Europe.
Traditionally pro-Putin political voices have been shifting from praise to condemnation since the invasion began, with both far-left and far-right politicians backing away from their past support of Russia. That includes Marine Le Pen, who met with Putin as a presidential candidate in 2017 and whose party got a 9 million-euro ($10.1 million) loan from a Russian firm in 2014. And Eric Zemmour, who once dreamed of France having a Putin of its own.