Paris: Marine Le Pen has called on Europe to put an end to sanctions against Russia, arguing the economic consequences for the bloc are too extreme.

Speaking during a parliamentary press conference on Tuesday, the right-wing French politician said Europe’s sanctions “serve no -purpose” and should “disappear”.

“Otherwise Europe is going to face a blackout, notably on the question of Russian gas imports,” she said.

“These sanctions are simply useless. All they do is make Europeans suffer. And that, incidentally, includes French people.”

“You’d need a huge dose of bad faith not to realise that, contrary to the inflated claims of our government, the Russian economy is not on its knees. They are not on the brink of bankruptcy.”

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On Wednesday, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the French minister for energy transition, shot back describing Le Pen’s statements as “extraordinarily dangerous” and “irresponsible”.

“[Le Pen] may pride herself as being the most patriotic politician, but she’s actually the first to be ready to sell [France] for a plate of lentils to Russia,” Pannier-Runacher told CNews.

She continued: “We are in a crisis situation that we did not want, but which is now global - it is not only specific to Europe. We must remain very united and we must not give up on the principles of the republic and democracy.”