Marine Le Pen has given her backing to Vladimir Putin’s claims over Crimea, insisting the widely condemned 2014 annexation was not “illegal”.

In an interview with French channel BFM TV, the French far-right leader sided with the Kremlin in a dispute that has contributed to the worst East-West ties for decades.

Asked for her views on the diplomatic crisis, Ms Le Pen, who leads the Front National in France and is a candidate in April’s presidential election, said: “I absolutely disagree that it was an illegal annexation: a referendum was held and residents of Crimea chose to rejoin Russia.”

Mr Putin’s forces swept into the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in February 2014.

Marine Le Pen claims no difference between her policies and Ukip

The Kremlin organised a referendum a month later which saw more than 95 per cent of voters in Crimea back joining Russia.

The British Government branded the referendum “farcical” and “illegitimate”.

Russia was subsequently hit with sanctions and fierce criticism by the EU and UN as well as national governments including the UK and France.

Russian military activity in Crimea Show all 11 1 /11 Russian military activity in Crimea Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian13-ap.jpg Russian, right, and Ukrainian navy sailors are deployed outside a Ukrainian Coast Guard base in Balaklava near Sevastopol, Crimea (AP) AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian9-ap.jpg An unidentified armed man patrols a square in front of the airport in Simferopol, Ukraine (AP) AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian12-ap.jpg A soldier rests atop a Russian armored personnel carriers with a road sign reading "Sevastopol - 32 kilometers, Yalta - 70 kilometers", near the town of Bakhchisarai, Ukraine (AP) AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian11-rtp.jpg Armed Russian navy servicemen surround a Ukrainian border guard base in Balaclava, in the Crimea region (Reuters) Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian10-afpgt.jpg Unidentified soldiers block a road to Ukrainian military airport Belbek not far from Sevastopol (AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian7-rt.jpg Sea gulls perch onboard a Russian military vessel anchored at a navy base in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Sevastopol (Reuters) Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian6-afpgt.jpg Activists of the Russian Bloc party guard the road to Ukrainian military airport Belbek not far from Sevastopol (AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian8-rt.jpg Ukrainian police walk near the Crimean parliament building in Simferopol. Ukraine said on Thursday it would regard any movements by Russian military in Crimea outside the Russian Black Sea fleet's base in Sevastopol as an act of aggression. (Reuters) Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian-navy1-rt.jpg Armed Russian navy servicemen surround a Ukrainian border guard base in Balaclava, in Crimea region (Reuters) Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian4-ap.jpg An unidentified gunman holds his assault rifle ready while he and others block the road toward the military airport at the Black Sea port of Sevastopol in Crimea (AP) AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian3-ap.jpg A local resident smiles preventing people from going too close to unidentified gunmen blocking the road toward the military airport at the Black Sea port of Sevastopol in Crimea (AP) AP

However, the far-right candidate, who has promised to work more closely with Mr Putin if she wins the presidency on April 17, said she saw no reason to dispute the result of the referendum.

“I see no grounds whatsoever to question this referendum,” she said.

Asked if she viewed Crimea as a part of Russia, Ms Le Pen replied, “Yes.”

According to international law, Crimea is still legally a part of Ukraine and French, British and American leaders have refused to recognise the vote or Moscow's claims to the majority-Russian speaking territory.

Ms Le Pen’s comments are not the first time a French official has sparked outrage over their views on Crimea.

A group of around 10 mainly centre-right Republican Party MPs visited the disputed region on two occasions, once in the summer of 2015 and again a year later.

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Russian media reported at the time that former transport minister Thierry Mariani, who led the delegation, backed the outcome of the referendum.

He said: “The referendum on Crimea’s accession to Russia reflected the will of the people.”