This is not the first time Pierre has expressed pro-Russian views. In December 2021, he urged France to maintain close ties with Russia despite growing tensions between Moscow and the West.
Russian state media quoted him as saying that “a strong French-Russian friendship … exists in the soul and has long penetrated the French mentality.”
He added: “Putin is a great head of state and a great leader of his country. I wish we could move on despite the current crisis.”
Justifying his last remarks, M. de Gaulle said that it was his “duty to restore the truth as heir to the general.”
But other family members have distanced themselves from his remarks, with his older brother Yves saying they don’t reflect their distinguished grandfather’s point of view.
Paris takes a slightly more subtle view of the Ukrainian-Russian conflict: after condemning the invasion as illegal and barbaric, President Emmanuel Macron called for dialogue with Moscow.
