While an investigation is being conducted in the U.S. to determine the extent to which Russia meddled in our recent presidential election, it’s already been confirmed that Russia has also been heavily involved in France’s election.

Time Magazine reports that the Front National party, of which candidate Marine Le Pen is the leader, borrowed nearly $10 million from the First Czech-Russian bank in Moscow.

While highly questionable, the loan Le Pen received from Russia surely influenced her ability to advance to the final round of the French election and go head to head with moderate candidate Emmanuel Macron.

Le Pen has commented on the controversial move, saying that she was forced to take the money in order to keep her campaign going.

‘If any English or American bank would offer money I would gladly accept it. That is the absolute scandal of the situation. It is fundamentally unjust.’

The party also asked for a $30 million loan in February of last year, according to The Telegraph.

With these loans and requests for loans in mind, the U.S. has been urged to investigate Le Pen’s Russia connections in addition to Trump’s. It’s unclear if an actual investigation has been launched at this time; however, several experts have said that they believe Russia is working to influence the election the same way it did in the U.S.

Erik Brattberg, director of Europe studies at the Carnegie Endowment, told NBC last week:

‘Russia is following the playbook they used in the U.S. Elections in 2016.’

Clint Watts, senior fellow at the Foreign Policy and Research Institute and NBC contributor, has also commented on the situation, saying that “Russia’s influence will be felt” in the French election regardless of the outcome.

‘They’ve still fragmented the electorate. You now have an angry population that undermines the mandate of the winner and they’re now supporting Russian positions.’

Watts also said that it will be difficult for the U.S. to conduct an investigation into Russia’s interference when President Trump and his administration are touting the same policies as those backed by Russia.

‘Russian-backed measures are predominantly anti NATO, anti EU and anti-immigration, so it makes it really hard to counter when you’re also repeating some of those policies.’

Le Pen has frequently spoken favorably of both President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. If she ends up winning the French election, there’s no question about the direction her country will go.

In an interview with VICE News last week, Le Pen spoke of a “new world” emerging and said that she shares the vision of that world.

‘A new world has emerged in the last few years. It’s the world of Vladimir Putin, it’s the world of Donald Trump in the United States, it’s the world of Mr. [Narendra] Modi in India, and I think I am the one who shares this vision of cooperation, and not a vision of submission or a vision of warmongering, like the one which is put forward far too often by the European Union.’

Le Pen’s talk of a “new world” is certainly troubling, and it could come to pass if she wins the election with Russia’s help. So far, she has already been predicted to win by the same economist who predicted Donald Trump’s victory.

Featured image via ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images.