Western governments yesterday condemned Vladimir Putin's victory in a presidential election they described as unfair and undemocratic, but China, India and North Korea congratulated the veteran leader on extending his rule for another six years.
The backlash, according to Reuters, has underscored geopolitical divisions that have been deepening since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, sparking the deepest crisis in relations with the West since the end of the Cold War.
Arriving in Brussels yesterday, EU foreign ministers dismissed the election result as a fraud before agreeing sanctions on those linked to the harassment and death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
"The election in Russia was a vote without a real choice," German Foreign Minister Analena Berbock said at the beginning of the meeting.
Alluding to the term "special military operation" that Russia uses for the war in Ukraine, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourn said that Paris was aware of the "special election operation".
"The criteria for free, pluralistic and democratic elections have not been met," his ministry announced.
British Foreign Minister David Cameron said that the election result highlighted the "depth of repression" in Russia. "Putin removes his political opponents, controls the media, and then crowns himself the winner. This is not democracy," Cameron said.
France, Britain and others condemned the fact that Russia also held elections in occupied regions of Ukraine that it claims it annexed during the war, Reuters reported.
"It is clear to everyone in the world that Putin has a sick desire for power and is doing everything to rule forever," Zelenski said.
The Kremlin rejected such criticism, saying the 87 percent of votes Putin won during the three-day election showed the Russian people were consolidating around him.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Russian elections had no legitimacy.
"It is clear to everyone in the world that Putin has a sick desire for power and is doing everything to rule forever," Zelenski said.
The "Politiko" portal reminds that when Putin was re-elected as president in 2018, European leaders were much more willing to congratulate him, despite the fact that Moscow's aggression in the east of Ukraine was ongoing and that an assassination attempt was made on a double agent before that. in Russia.
"I heartily congratulate you on your re-election as President of Russia," was the congratulatory message of German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the time. Then US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Putin in a telephone conversation.
The spokesman of the White House announced on Sunday that the elections in Risia "were obviously neither free nor fair".
In contrast, Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Putin and said Beijing would maintain close communication with Moscow to promote the "borderless" partnership they agreed to in 2022 shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine. "I believe that under your leadership, Russia will certainly be able to achieve greater achievements in national development," Xi said in a message to Putin, Xinhua news agency reported.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi echoed that message, saying he looked forward to strengthening the "special and privileged partnership" between New Delhi and Moscow.
India and China, along with Russia, are members of the BRICS group of emerging economies that aims to challenge American dominance in the global economy.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who the West accuses of supplying Russia with weapons, also congratulated Putin, underscoring their desire to expand bilateral relations with Moscow.
The leaders of Belarus, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Azerbaijan also congratulated Putin on his victory, Politiko reported.
"The result is, of course, astonishing. It is a serious signal to the West, which is trying to destabilize the internal situation in Russia," said the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, at a meeting with officials, and after a telephone conversation with Putin.
In Africa, where the West is trying to drum up support for efforts to isolate Moscow over the war in Ukraine, some media said Putin's re-election strengthened the positions of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
The three countries in the Sahel region have strengthened ties with Russia after coups in recent years to the detriment of their traditional allies France and the US.
"In Africa, this re-election may seem irrelevant, however, taking into account the context in the Sahel, it has a special meaning, because Putin is the embodiment of the new geopolitical balance of power on the continent with the growing Russian presence and influence," the daily "Ojurdui o Faso" stated. from Burkina Faso.
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