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Kremlin leader Putin receives congratulations from abroad. The national and international reactions to the election results.
- New Sanctions the EU planned: Baerbock attacks Vladimir Putin sharply after the election victory was announced
- Ex-diplomat responds to Putin victory: “Insult to Stalin”
- criticism from Roth: Foreign politician follows up Elections in Russia accusations
Update from March 18th, 1:05 p.m: Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) will also not congratulate Vladimir Putin on his confirmation in office. “It was not a democratic and fair election,” said deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann. “The Chancellor did not congratulate,” she added.
When asked whether Putin would be referred to as president or ruler in the future, a spokesman for the Foreign Office said that recently they have only been using the name Putin without any official title. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also announced that he would not congratulate Putin.
“Tragic farce”: Baltic states deny Putin’s election legitimacy
Update from March 18th, 12:37 p.m: The Baltic states deny Putin’s election victory international legitimacy. Law cannot arise from lawlessness, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said today. That’s why his country doesn’t call this “sham procedure” an “election” because unfortunately it was more of a “tragic farce.”
Putin is an autocrat and has been for a long time, said Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna. The Kremlin leader must be held accountable before the International Criminal Court. “Putin’s right place is in The Hague,” he said. The Foreign Ministry in Latvia also condemned the “so-called elections in Russia” as neither free nor fair.
Putin victory: EU does not recognize Russia election as free and fair
Update from March 18th, 12:15 p.m: The EU does not recognize the election in Russia as free and fair. In an official statement, she accused the Kremlin of major restrictions on voting. It is regretted that no international election observers were allowed. It was also said that the election results in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories were ineffective.
Putin victory in Russia: Baerbock speaks sharply – and announces sanctions
Update from March 18th, 11:45 a.m: “The election in Russia was an election without an election”: With these words, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) commented on the official re-election of Vladimir Putin. The fact that voting had also taken place in parts of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia “is contrary to international law,” she said before deliberations of the EU department heads in Brussels.
Baerbock added that it was all the more remarkable how many Russians made it clear over the weekend that they were not on the same page with this Russian president. “The fact that you go to a polling station, even if soldiers accompany you, fills me with the greatest respect.” At the same time, Baerbock announced new EU sanctions in view of the death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
Russia election: France pays tribute to peaceful demonstrators
Update from March 18, 11:22 a.m: France’s government takes note of the “expected result of the presidential election”. The Foreign Ministry in Paris announced this today – and mentioned “W. Putin” without his presidential title.
Rather, it acknowledged the peaceful protests in the statement: “France welcomes the courage of many Russian citizens who demonstrated peacefully against the attack on their fundamental political rights.”
The election took place in a “context of heightened repression,” it said. Paris also condemns the establishment of electoral offices in separatist regions in Georgia and Moldova.
Russia election: Xi Jinping congratulates Vladimir Putin
Update from March 18th, 10:55 a.m: China congratulates Putin – and praises friendship with Russia: “We firmly believe that under the strategic leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Putin, relations between China and Russia will continue to progress,” said Foreign Office spokesman Lin Jian in Beijing.
China and Russia are “strategic partners in the new era”. After the announcement of Putin’s victory, other countries such as Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Bolivia congratulated him.
Russia propaganda: Newspaper sees “competition” in voter turnout
Update from March 18, 10:14 a.m: Putin’s “election victory” is the main topic in Russian media. 74 percent of those eligible reportedly voted – a record. The Moscow daily newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta celebrates this in a quite remarkable way as “real competition between regions and corporations for the highest voter turnout”. Observers had criticized companies for taking employees to polling stations in an organized manner.
According to the newspaper, the protests against election manipulation mobilized loyal voters: “This was undoubtedly fueled by cases of hooliganism at polling stations by individual citizens who were either in their right minds because of their age, were deceived by enemy propaganda or have psychological problems,” the newspaper said in its commentary on the Russia election.
Ex-diplomat reacts to Putin victory: “Insult to Stalin”
Update from March 18, 9:41 a.m: Former British diplomat Sir Andrew Wood described comparisons between Putin and Stalin as an “insult to Stalin” after the Russia election. “Stalin operated in a disgusting and bloodthirsty manner, but at least his regime had some organization,” he told the broadcaster Sky News.
The background: British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps wrote in a guest article for The Telegraph written: “Putin behaves like a modern Stalin”. The broadcaster asked Wood if he saw it that way too. The former Soviet dictator Josef Stalin had around 20 million people murdered.
Reactions to Putin’s victory: Kim sends a letter
Update from March 18th, 9:00 a.m.: Vladimir Putin also received congratulations from North Korea. Like the state news agency KCNA reported, Head of State Kim Jong-un congratulated the Russian president on his re-election in a letter. Just a few days ago, Kim expressed his friendship with Russia with a ride in a limousine given to him by Putin.
Update from March 18th, 6:45 a.m.: According to official information, Vladimir Putin received congratulations from several authoritarian countries after his victory in the Russian election. The heads of state of Nicaragua, Tajikistan and Venezuela sent congratulations, the Russian news agency reported Tass in the morning. “With more than 87 percent (of the vote), Putin has completely won the war against the empire of the collective West,” she quoted Nicolás Maduro as saying. The Venezuelan head of state described the victory of the “older brother” as a good omen for the whole world.
Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega also spoke of a triumph that would contribute to stability and a better future for humanity. The elections themselves were exemplary and calm, said Ortega. Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rakhmon, in turn, spoke of a convincing victory for Putin. He hopes for the further development of bilateral relations, according to a statement from the Rakhmon press service.
German foreign policy expert makes serious allegations against Putin
Update from March 17th, 9:29 p.m.: There was criticism of the Russia election from the federal government. “These are the least free fake elections since the end of the Soviet Union,” said Michael Roth (SPD), Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, to the Daily Mirror. “The fake elections were in part contrary to international law. In the temporarily occupied and annexed Ukrainian territories, the elections and the results may not be recognized.” Roth accused the regime of “election manipulation”.
Steinmeier doesn’t want to send congratulations to Moscow after Russia’s election
Update from March 17th, 9:15 p.m.: According to his spokeswoman, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier does not want to congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his re-election after the election in Russia. “There will be no letter to Putin,” spokeswoman Cerstin Gammelin told the Daily Mirror on Sunday evening after the first results of the Russian election had been published that evening.
In a statement from the Federal President previously distributed by her on the X platform (formerly Twitter), it said: “Today I am thinking of the people in Russia who are fighting for freedom and democracy and who live in constant danger from Putin’s regime. We don’t forget these brave people.” Spokeswoman Gammelin also wrote about the “so-called presidential elections in Russia”. The Foreign Office chose a similar formulation on Sunday. On
Navalny team on Russia election: “Invented percentages”
Update from March 17th, 9:01 p.m.: The team of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who died in Russian custody, has questioned the partial results of the presidential election in Russia, according to which Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin received almost 88 percent of the vote. “The percentages invented for Putin clearly have nothing to do with reality,” Leonid Volkov said on Sunday on the Telegram online service. Volkov was one of Navalny’s closest confidants and, among other things, former chief of staff.
Medvedev attacks the West after the election in Russia
Update from March 17th, 8:46 p.m: Putin’s henchmen are getting into position: After the election in Russia, which was overshadowed by allegations of manipulation, the Kremlin sees little reason for international relaxation. On the contrary, just a few minutes after the announcement of a first result, Dmitri Medvedev mocked the West: “Congratulations to all enemies of Russia for Vladimir Putin’s brilliant victory,” the former president wrote on X. In the past weeks and months, the Russian politician has been repeatedly appeared with blatant threats against the West.
First report: Moscow – The election in Russia is over: According to the first official partial results, Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin received almost 88 percent of the votes in the ballot. This ensures that the Russian ruler will have another six-year term in office. There were no serious opponents for Putin, which is not the only reason why the election was heavily criticized abroad.
Zelenskyj on the Russia election: Putin is a power-hungry dictator
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described Putin as a power-hungry “dictator.” “It is clear to everyone in the world that this person – as has often happened in history – is simply sick of power and will do anything to be able to rule forever,” Zelensky said in online services.
Reactions to Putin and the election in Russia: Zelenskyj becomes clear
In view of the Russian invasion of his homeland and the war that has now lasted more than two years, Zelenskyj demanded justice. “There must be just retribution for everything Russian murderers have done in this war and in the interests of Putin’s lifelong power,” he said. “He is only afraid of one thing – justice.” Ukraine’s demands for a peace agreement with Moscow include, among other things, that those responsible in Russia’s politics and military should be held accountable before an international court.
Poland on Putin’s presidential election: Election in Russia “not legal, free and fair”
After the first partial results of the presidential election in Russia were announced, Poland criticized the vote as “not legal”. “Russia’s presidential election is not legal, free and fair,” said the Foreign Ministry in Warsaw on Sunday evening. The election was held “under severe repression” and in occupied parts of Ukraine in violation of international law. (cgsc with dpa and afp)