Representatives of the Baltic states will not participate in Putin’s inauguration: the “elections” were neither free nor fair

“Representatives of the Republic of Lithuania do not plan to participate in V. Putin’s inauguration. The “elections” of the President of Russia held on March 15-17 of this year were neither free nor fair, they were held in the context of continued repression against the opposition and independent media, in the absence of real alternative candidates and international observers,” the MFA’s commentary to Elta reads.

“In addition, the organization of the “elections” of the Russian president in the temporarily occupied and illegally annexed territories of Ukraine, the occupied territories of Sakartveli and Transnistria of Moldova is a serious violation of international law, the UN Charter and the sovereignty of Ukraine, Sakartveli and Moldova,” the ministry emphasizes.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also points out that V. Putin is subject to EU sanctions for his role in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for the forced deportation of Ukrainian children and the illegal transfer of children from the territory of Ukraine.

“These criminal activities are equated to war crimes. Lithuania has joined the Rome Statute and recognizes the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court”, says the ministry.

“In this context, we believe that the isolation of Russia, and especially of its criminal leader, must be continued. Participation in V. Putin’s inauguration is not acceptable for Lithuania. Our priority remains support for Ukraine and its people fighting against Russian aggression,” the MFA emphasizes.

All the embassies of the European Union (EU) states in Russia are invited to the inauguration of Vladimir Putin, who was re-elected in the falsified presidential elections, planned to be held on Tuesday, delfi.lt reported last week.

ELTA reminds that on March 18, the Central Election Commission of Russia (CRK) announced that V. Putin won the presidential “election”, for whom 87.28 percent of voters voted. According to the CRK of Russia, a record number of voters participated in the elections.

Voting also took place in Ukraine, a territory controlled by Russia. Kyiv denounced the vote as a sham, with President Volodymyr Zelensky calling Putin a “dictator.”

These elections were condemned as “undemocratic” by Brussels, France, the Czech Republic, Sakartvel and other countries. The United States of America has declared that it will not congratulate V. Putin, who was declared the winner.