Zelensky accuses Putin of wanting to “rule forever.” White House says elections are ‘not free’

In accordance with Reuters, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that Vladimir Putin wants to rule forever and that the presidential elections in Russia are an illegitimate falsification.

“The Russian dictator is faking new elections,” he says, adding that Putin is “fed up with power and is doing everything he can to rule forever.”

He adds that “there is no and cannot be any legitimacy in these elections. This man must be brought to justice in The Hague. This is what we must guarantee,” he added.

The White House in the United States says the Russian election is “neither free nor fair” because Vladimir Putin “arrested opponents and prevented others from running against him.”

The German Foreign Ministry also reacted to Putin’s victory. “Pseudo-elections in Russia are neither free nor fair, the result does not surprise anyone. Putin’s government is authoritarian, based on censorship, repression and violence,” they say.

“The elections in the occupied territories of Ukraine are invalid and are another violation of international law,” they add.

The British Foreign Office also reacted to the Russian president’s victory, saying that by holding elections “illegally on the territory of Ukraine, Russia demonstrates that it is not interested in finding a path to peace.”

They also state that “the United Kingdom will continue to provide humanitarian, economic and military assistance to Ukrainians defending their democracy.”

For the Polish Foreign Ministry there were also repressions against society.

“From March 15 to 17, 2024, the so-called presidential elections were held in Russia. Voting took place under conditions of extreme repression against society, making it impossible to make a free and democratic choice,” they say.