Putin at his "inauguration" assured of his readiness for dialogue with the West and spoke about Russia: analysts saw nothing unexpected
Kyiv • UNN
During his inaugural speech, Putin said that Moscow “does not refuse to engage in dialogue with Western countries” and spoke about the Russian Federation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his "inauguration", which has now ended, addressed the topic of cooperation with the West, saying that Moscow "does not refuse to engage in dialogue with Western countries". His statement was broadcast by the Russian media, UNN reports.
According to him, Russia is ready to become a partner to anyone who wants it, who sees it as a "reliable" and "honest" partner.
"We do not refuse to engage in dialogue with Western countries," he said during his inaugural speech in Moscow. - "The choice is theirs. Either they intend to continue to try to restrain Russia's development, to continue the policy (...) of putting pressure on our country, or to look for ways to cooperate and peace.
Putin also made a number of statements about Russia, including that "we will determine the fate of Russia ourselves and only ourselves," "the interests and security of the people of Russia will be above all for me," "we must ensure reliable continuity in the development of Russia for decades to come," and also mentioned "svo," as Russia calls the war against Ukraine, and its participants, whom he thanked.
According to Sky News, the ceremony, during which Putin gave a brief speech in the grand Kremlin palace, ended with an artillery salute. He left the palace as the Russian national anthem was played and a select few dignitaries in the audience erupted in applause. It is also reported that Putin met with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill.
Sky News' Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett pointed out that the content of Putin's speech was expected. "He talked about the greatness of Russia, that the West is the aggressor and that everything should be on an equal footing," Bennett said.
In its analysis of the event, the newspaper notes that "pomp and ceremony do not change what Putin has done to Russia.
"Having rigged another election, undermined the Russian constitution, destroyed a free press and either killed or imprisoned any opposition, Vladimir Putin today used all the trappings of Russian pomp and ceremony to try to hide behind a mantle of false legitimacy," Sky News international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn said .
Addendum
Earlier, Radio Liberty reportedthat all the EU countries that are going to attend Putin's inauguration have been announced. According to the publication, there are six of them - France, Hungary, Slovakia, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, and one more country has changed its mind - Belgium said it would not send representatives to the Kremlin's celebrations.
The United States and most EU countries decided not to attend the event. Independent observers and experts assess the elections in Russia as unfree and uncompetitive. Ukraine says it sees no reason to recognize Putin as the legitimate president of Russia.
