European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen has ruled out working with Russian leader Vladimir Putin's "friends" in the next EU parliament, two days after announcing she would run for a second term.
As the chosen candidate of the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), Von der Leyen was asked whether she would cooperate with a future majority that includes the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR).
"Those who defend our values against Putin's friends, those are the ones I want to work with," she told reporters in Brussels at a press conference with EPP leader Manfred Weber.
While noting that the EU elections in June will change the composition of groups in parliament, Von der Leyen drew a red line on parties considered pro-Russian.
"It is important to work with pro-European, pro-NATO, pro-Ukrainian groups that clearly support our democratic values," she replied.
"Friends of Putin: impossible," she said.
Polls show that far-right parties will make significant inroads in the 27-member EU vote on June 6 and 9, pushing back the left and centre-left parties in parliament.
The elections will set off a reshuffle of senior EU posts that will determine the direction of the 450 million-strong bloc over the next five years.
In the current legislature, the EPP, the largest group by number of seats, has joined forces with the centre-left Socialists and Democrats and the centrist Renew Europe, the second and third largest groups respectively.
One of the two hard-right blocs in parliament, Identity and Democracy (ID), includes a number of parties considered friendly to Russia, such as Marine Le Pen's National Rally in France or Matteo Salvini's League in Italy.
The second right-wing group, the ECR, has so far taken an anti-Moscow stance, but this could be softened if it is joined after the elections by the Fidesz party of Hungary's Russia-friendly leader Viktor Orban - as it is trying to do. / BGNES
