French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen's interests are tied to Russia's leadership, President Emmanuel Macron said in a TV debate with his far-right challenger on Wednesday.
He said other French parties had managed to finance their operations with French loans, not through a bank connected to Russia.
"None of us went to seek financing from a Russian bank, and especially not from one that is close to power in Russia," Macron said.
Le Pen obtained a loan from a Russian bank in 2014 ahead of her run for the presidency in 2017.
Le Pen retorted that she was a political leader free of external influence.
(Reporting by GV De Clercq; Editing by Richard Lough)
