Fillon’s Russophilia heads for reality check

PARIS — There came a point during his primary campaign when François Fillon started making foreign policy pronouncements that seemed cut-and-pasted from Vladimir Putin’s propaganda manual.

The annexation of Crimea? Bad, but what about the NATO intervention in Kosovo back in 1999? Russia not abiding by the so-called Minsk accord on Ukraine? Bad, but what about Ukraine not doing its part either by granting autonomy to the Donbas region?

François Fillon takes on the critics

PARIS — François Fillon hit back on Friday at critics who accuse him of being an ultra-right Catholic conservative bent on turning back the clock if he becomes French president.

Fillon, who became a presidential favorite last Sunday after unexpectedly winning the first round of a center-right primary, came under fierce attack this week as his rival Alain Juppé’s camp and other opponents tried to knock him off his perch.