Putin sworn in for a fifth term. “The illusion of legality for an almost lifelong stay in power”
During the inauguration of the fifth term of his presidency, Vladimir Putin issued an ultimatum to Western countries. He emphasized that it is “their choice” whether they want to follow the path of aggression or peace. Ukraine also commented on the oath.
Vladimir Putin formally began his fifth term as president of Russia on Tuesday. The inauguration ceremony was carefully planned, CNN reports. Many leading Russian military and politicians appeared there. The leaders of the four temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine were also present. The US and many European countries refused to send representatives after it was deemed that the elections were a sham. One of the exceptions was France.
Putin won 87 percent in March, which the United States considered a “farce.” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller noted that “they were not free and fair.” Most opposition candidates are dead, imprisoned, exiled or banned from running. During the speech itself, the Russian leader said that Russia does not refuse dialogue with Western countries, but “the choice is theirs.”
Vladimir Putin is president of Russia for the fifth time. Ultimatum for Western countries
– Do they intend to continue trying to stop Russia's development, continue the policy of aggression and constant pressure on our country for years, or look for a path to cooperation and peace? – said Putin. According to Kiev, the inauguration ceremony of the Russian president was intended to create “an illusion of legality for the almost lifelong stay in power of a person who turned the Russian Federation into an aggressor state and the ruling regime into a dictatorship.”
The war in Ukraine is one of Putin's few challenges. The invasion changed the perception of Russia on the international stage. Moscow is isolated, and the Russian leader has tried to establish contacts with the countries of the “global south” (formerly the Third and Fourth World – ed.). Putin, in turn, managed to avert the crisis caused by Yevgeny Prigozhin and remove Alexei Navalny.
