In a TV debate, Macron attacked Le Pen because of his ties to Russia

French President Emmanuel Macron, who expects to be re-elected to another five-year term on Sunday, sharply attacked his far-right opponent Marine Le Pen on Wednesday for her ties to Russia, her suspicion of the European Union and her lack of understanding of numbers.

In their only televised debate before voters have their say in Sunday's runoff, Macron sought to portray Le Pen as fundamentally untrustworthy, accusing her of dishonesty in making campaign promises. Le Pen, who was easily defeated by Macron in the last presidential election five years ago, is doing better in the polls this time, although she still lags behind Macron.

The French leader particularly angrily criticized the Le Pen party because of the loan from the Russian-Czech bank in 2014. He said that debt means that if Le Pen is elected president, her hands will be tied when dealing with the Kremlin.

"When you talk about Russia, you're talking to your banker - that's the problem," Macron said in an evening prime-time debate watched by millions.

"You made a decision (on that loan) that obviously limited your political position and does not make you independent. That is a fact," Macron said.

Le Pen took umbrage at Macron's suggestion that she was beholden to Russia and described herself as "completely free". She said her party was repaying the loan and called Macron "dishonest" for raising the issue.

Macron, a pro-European centrist, was in the lead after the first round of voting on April 10 and is also leading according to later public opinion polls.

But Le Pen, a nationalist and anti-immigration activist who gained ground this year by tapping into public anger over inflation, has narrowed the gap in popular support significantly compared to 2017, when she lost 34 percent of the vote to Macron's 66 percent.

Both candidates carefully prepared for the TV debate. But Le Pen got off to a bad start: since she was chosen to speak first, she started before the music credits to start the debate ended. Muffled by the music, she had to stop, then apologized and began to speak again.

When the contest began, Macron quickly put Le Pen on the defensive. He focused on what she voted for during her parliamentary term and questioned her understanding of economic figures.

A similar debate dealt a decisive blow to her campaign in 2017.

Both candidates need to expand their base of voter support before Sunday's vote, and many French people, especially on the left, say they don't yet know whether they will go to the polls at all.