European Council President Charles Michel sarcastically congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his victory in the presidential elections that began on Friday without any real opposition. Michel wrote on X platform, "I would like to congratulate Vladimir Putin on the overwhelming victory he achieved in the elections that start today. No opposition. No freedom. No choice."
The elections are predetermined in favor of Putin, who has been in power for 24 years, and he will secure a new six-year term. The voting takes place from Friday to Sunday as the West seeks to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine after the Kremlin crushed any actual opposition within Russia.
Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Putin's opponent Alexei Navalny, urged the West not to recognize the election results. A win for Putin would extend his rule beyond that of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, making the duration of his time in power the longest in Russian history since Empress Catherine the Great.
