Paris:
Friends and allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin were quick to congratulate him on winning a fifth term, but Western leaders condemned the vote, which was held under repressive conditions and without a credible opposition.
Here’s a roundup of the main reactions so far to the 71-year-old Putin’s landslide victory of 77.44%:
China: People “support”
Beijing congratulated Putin and said: “China and Russia are each other’s largest neighbors and comprehensive strategic partners in the new era.”
President Xi Jinping said the result “fully reflects the support of the Russian people,” according to Chinese state media.
Iran: “Decisive”
Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi praised Putin’s “decisive victory,” the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, the son of the country’s late long-time leader Idriss Deby, congratulated Putin in a Facebook post. He said the result “proves the Russian people’s trust in Putin.”
Venezuela: ‘Good sign’
In Latin America, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said: “Our brother Vladimir Putin has emerged victorious, which bodes well for the world”.
Cuba’s Miguel Díaz-Canel said the official results “reliably show that the Russian public supports (Putin’s) management of the country”.
Zelensky: “Evil”
In Europe, however, the election was met with condemnation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed it as illegal.
“Everyone in the world understands that this man, like so many others throughout history, has grown tired of power and will stop at nothing to rule forever,” he said.
“He would go to any length to maintain his personal power.”
EU: “Crackdown”
The EU says Russians have been denied a “real choice” after all candidates opposed to the war in Ukraine were excluded.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the vote was “based on repression and intimidation.”
The 27-nation bloc said it would “never recognize” the results of the poll in the Moscow-occupied region of Ukraine. But it ignored calls from the widow of the Kremlin’s arch-enemy Alexei Navalny not to recognize Putin as Russia’s legitimate president.
Germany: “Outrageous”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock said there was “no choice” in the vote and demonstrated “Putin’s outrageous behavior against his own people.”
France’s foreign ministry said “the conditions for free, pluralistic and democratic elections have not yet been met”.
The vote came against a backdrop of “increasing repression of civil society and all forms of opposition to the regime,” the statement said, praising “the courage of many Russian citizens who peacefully expressed their opposition to such opposition.” an attack on their fundamental political rights.”
UK: “illegal”
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the “illegal” election “demonstrated starkly the depth of repression by President Putin’s regime, which seeks to silence any opposition to his illegal war”.
“Putin gets rid of his political opponents, controls the media, and then crowns himself the winner. This is not democracy.”
Czech Republic: ‘Farce’
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavski called the vote a “farce.”
Moldovan President Maia Sandu said: “When real opponents are removed from the election, some are sent to prison, others are deported; when the reprisals are so severe that people are afraid to participate in elections, we Can’t talk about free and fair elections.” Speak up; when the free press is gone.”
She added: “This is not a conscious and free choice for citizens.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned the vote as “neither free nor fair”, adding: “We are continuing our efforts to achieve a just peace that will allow Russia to end its aggressive war in Ukraine.”
Norway: “Violation”
Norway, which borders Russia, said the Kremlin’s decision to organize the vote in parts of Ukraine “illegally occupied” by Moscow was a “serious violation of international law”.
He praised those Russians who “still dare to work for… a different and better Russia.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
