The leader of France’s far-right Front National has said not a “hair’s breadth” separates her party from Nigel Farage’s Ukip.

Marine Le Pen said it was “ridiculous” for Farage and his colleagues to pretend otherwise. Pressed on the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show about why Ukip refused to associate itself with the FN, Le Pen said: “Sorry, but objectively there is – on the topic of immigration and the European Union – not a hair’s breadth of difference between what Ukip thinks and what the National Front thinks, let’s be truthful.

“Maybe Ukip is trying to counter the demonisation they are victim of by saying, ‘We are the good guys and the National Front are the bad guys’ – they can do so, but I don’t feel obliged to follow this strategy because, frankly, I feel it’s a little bit ridiculous.”

Le Pen, who has led a number of polls in the run-up to next spring’s French presidential election, denied that her party is racist, claiming that was a charge from the “elites”.

The far-right leader claimed that the rise of nationalism across Europe was not a mirror of the 1930s. “What doesn’t work is when you impose the same drugs on everyone, when clearly, if you will, the different countries are not suffering from the same disease; or that you want everyone to wear the same suit, but the suit will be too small and too big for everyone, except possibly for Germany, as they tailored it.”

Le Pen predicted that her possible election as French president next year would be the third act of a “global revolution” that has seen the UK leave the EU and Donald Trump elevated to the White House.

The FN leader defended her party borrowing money from Russian banks as she praised its president, Vladimir Putin. She said his model of politics was “one of reasoned protectionism, looking after the interests of his country, defending his identity”.

Le Pen blamed the EU and US for destabilising Europe and behaving aggressively towards Russia.