France will send its ambassador to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration tomorrow, a French diplomatic source said today, unlike Germany, which said it would not be represented.
Will the West Divide?
The Paris decision marks a split in the Western bloc with many countries, including the Baltic states, fiercely opposed to Putin being recognized with any form of legitimacy and undermining Ukraine in its war with Russia after Moscow launched an offensive two years ago. .
France, which is sending its ambassador to Russia for the inauguration, is considering sending troops to Ukraine.
Putin won a landslide victory in Russia’s presidential election in March, just weeks after Alexei Navalny, the Russian president’s most prominent critic, died in prison. Western governments denounced his re-election as anti-democratic.
“France will be represented by its ambassador to Russia,” a French diplomatic source said.
Paris has previously condemned the repressive environment in which the elections were held, denying voters the right to a real election, and the holding of elections in Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions, which France considers a violation of international law and the Charter. of the United Nations.
Franco-Russian relations have soured in recent months as Paris has increased its support for Ukraine. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out sending troops to Ukraine.
“Nein” from Germany – Lithuania and USA are not represented
For its part, Germany has announced that it will not send a representative to Vladimir Putin’s inauguration. The Baltic states, which no longer have ambassadors in Moscow, also categorically refused to attend the ceremony.
Although Washington has yet to make an official announcement, two European diplomats said they do not expect the United States to send a representative to the inauguration.
“We believe that the isolation of Russia, and especially of its criminal leader, must continue,” said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
“Lithuania cannot accept participation in Putin’s inauguration. Our priority is to support Ukraine and its people fighting against Russian aggression.”
Ukraine has called on its allies not to recognize Putin as the legitimate president
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has called on Kiev’s international allies not to recognize Vladimir Putin as Russia’s legitimate president.
“Ukraine sees no legal grounds for recognizing him as the democratically elected and legitimate president of the Russian Federation,” the ministry said in a statement released ahead of Putin’s inauguration tomorrow.
Source: RES-MPE
