President Vladimir Putin of Russia was inaugurated to his fifth term in office at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia. Out of his five previous inaugurations, this is the most controversial one. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, leading many countries to limit relations with the Eastern European nation; as well as many businesses pulling out of the market due to international sanctions.
Consequently, most European countries, Canada, and the United States did not send official representation to the inaugural ceremony. There were some exceptions, however.
The Hungarian diplomatic envoys, led by Ambassador Norbert Konkoly, were present. There is no surprise there, given that the Orbán administration has been the most willing to maintain closer ties with the belligerent nation, often drawing international criticism for these decisions—most notably, for PM Orbán meeting with and posing for a handshaking photo opt with President Putin in October 2023 in Beijing, China.
However, what came as more of a surprise, even France sent its ambassador to the ceremony.
French Ambassador to Russia Pierre Levy was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow to discuss France’s business involvements in Ukraine just days before the inauguration. Yet, Ambassador Levy and the French envoys were in attendance as President Putin was being sworn in. All this against the backdrop of President Emmanuel Macron of France getting increasingly hawkish in his rhetoric against Russia, even proposing that he would relocate France’s nuclear arsenal to other European countries located closer to Russia.
The four other European Union Member States that sent diplomatic envoys to President Putin’s fifth inauguration were Slovakia, Greece, Malta, and Cyprus.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the US State Department issued a public statement claiming that the United States does not recognize the 2024 Russian presidential election as ‘free and fair’.
President Putin’s Inaugural Address
Despite all that, President Putin has just been sworn in for his fifth six-year presidential term, which will last between 2024 and 2030. He will be 77 years old at the end of his term, if he is still alive by then. He won the 2024 election with a record-high popular vote share, 88.5 per cent, amidst the Russo–Ukrainian war.
Some Western publications, such as Reuters, reported on his speech as the President issuing ‘challenges’ or ‘threats’ to the Western powers. According to their report, President Putin said ‘it was up to the West to choose between confrontation and cooperation’. Meanwhile, the British newspaper Mirror reported that he referred to the war in Ukraine as a ‘special military operation’ again, as per his habit. He then told his people:
‘I see the deep understanding of our historic role to defend our choice, to defend our freedom, and to defend the national interests of Russia.
We will go through this difficult time and will be successful.’
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