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Annalena Baerbock: The German Foreign Minister paid tribute to the Russian citizens who expressed their protest against Putin during the election

Photo: Ebrahim Noroozi / AP

The pseudo-election in Russia is causing criticism in Europe.

After the expected result, several EU states and Ukraine pointed out that the vote could not be described as free elections.

Congratulations came from several authoritarian countries.

President Vladimir Putin was re-elected due to "repression and intimidation," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday before a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels.

"These were not free and fair elections."

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made similar comments before the meeting in Brussels.

The vote was “an election without an election.”

Baerbock also said: "The election process not only shows Putin's nefarious actions against his own people, but also against the United Nations Charter." At the same time, the minister paid tribute to the Russian citizens who expressed their protest against Putin during the election had.

France pays tribute to demonstrators

France also paid tribute to the peaceful demonstrators.

"France welcomes the courage of many Russian citizens who demonstrated peacefully against the attack on their fundamental political rights," said the Foreign Ministry.

“The conditions for a free, pluralistic and democratic election are once again not met,” it continued.

France “takes note of the expected result of the presidential election.”

Putin was mentioned in the statement without his presidential title.

The election took place in a “context of heightened oppression.”

Freedom of expression and the work of independent media are being increasingly restricted.

Candidates who opposed the war in Ukraine were not admitted, it said.

France regrets that Russia did not allow international election observers.

"This election fraud has no legitimacy and cannot have any," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj in his evening video address on Sunday.

"This figure (Putin) must end up in the dock in The Hague - we must ensure that, everyone in the world who values ​​life and decency." Ukraine's demands for a peace agreement with Moscow include, among other things, that Russian political and military leaders should be held accountable before an international court.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz will not congratulate Putin on his confirmation in office.

"It was not a democratic and fair election," said deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann on Monday in Berlin about the elections in Russia.

"The Chancellor didn't congratulate," she added.

"Russia ... is now a dictatorship and is under authoritarian rule by Vladimir Putin." When asked whether Putin would be referred to as president or ruler in the future, a spokesman for the Foreign Office said that recently they have only used the name Putin without it Use official title.

While Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, according to his spokeswoman, does not want to congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his re-election, some states from Central Asia and Latin America congratulated him.

China congratulates on his re-election

The heads of state of Nicaragua, Tajikistan and Venezuela were among the first to congratulate, the Russian state news agency Tass said on Monday morning.

China's state and party leader Xi Jinping congratulated Putin on the telephone on his election victory.

He trusts that Russia can achieve even greater successes in the development and construction of the country under Putin's leadership, Xi said, according to Chinese state television on Monday.

The Chinese side congratulates on the re-election, the newly introduced Foreign Office spokesman Lin Jian announced earlier in Beijing.

China and Russia are “strategic partners in the new era.”

Under the leadership of Xi and Putin, the two countries' relations will continue to advance, he said.

According to the electoral commission, after 98 percent of the ballot papers were counted, Putin received more than 87 percent of the votes - a record result, which, according to observers, was only achieved through repression, coercion and fraud.

Putin has now been in power in Russia for around a quarter of a century.

asc/dpa/Reuters/AFP