Putin Praised by North Korea, Faces Western Criticism Post-Elections

Cerstin Gammelin, spokeswoman for the German president, conveyed that Frank-Walter Steinmeier will abstain from extending congratulations to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his victory in the perceived fraudulent elections.

"There will be no letter to Putin". In a tweet on Sunday (X), Steinmeier himself expressed his thoughts regarding the individuals in Russia who are actively advocating for democracy. "Today I am thinking about the people in Russia who are fighting for freedom and democracy and living in constant danger from the Putin regime. We will not forget these courageous people", Steinmeier wrote on the day of the Russian presidential sham elections.

During the 2018 Russian presidential elections, Steinmeier extended congratulations to the leader of the Kremlin.

"The pseudo-elections in Russia are neither free nor fair; the result does not surprise anyone. Putin's rule is authoritarian; it relies on censorship, repression, and violence. "Elections" in the occupied territories of Ukraine are invalid. They are another violation of international law," states a message from the German Foreign Ministry.

German experts in foreign affairs also made substantial allegations against Putin. "These are the most unfree fraudulent elections since the end of the Soviet Union," said Michael Roth, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, in the newspaper "Tagesspiegel". "Putin's regime exhibits fascist and totalitarian characteristics."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky labeled Vladimir Putin a power-hungry "autocrat" on Sunday, as the Russian president appeared poised to secure another six-year term in elections criticized by Kyiv.

"It is clear to everyone in the...