The presence of foreign leaders at a President’s inauguration signifies the importance of the relationship between their country and the one whose President is being inaugurated.

It can also demonstrate support for the democratic process and the peaceful transition of power.

It can be seen as a gesture of goodwill and a reaffirmation of bilateral or multilateral relationships.

Additionally, the presence of multiple world leaders at an inauguration can enhance the event’s international profile and significance.

However, a widespread boycott by multiple foreign leaders could isolate the newly inaugurated President on the international stage.

It may suggest a lack of legitimacy or acceptance of the new leadership within the global community, potentially weakening the president’s position in international affairs.

Russia’s inauguration ceremony, once a hallmark of political legitimacy, now stands as a symbol of international condemnation and a stark reminder of the erosion of democratic norms within Russia.

The United States and most European Union nations have said that they will not send envoys to the inauguration of Vladimir Putin as Russian President which is set to take place on Tuesday, May 7, 2024.

An aide to Putin said that the heads of all foreign diplomatic missions in Moscow including those from “unfriendly states” had been invited to attend the inauguration, which starts at noon (09:00 GMT) and will be broadcast live on Russian television.

Putin, 71, secured a fifth term in office in a March election that critics said lacked democratic legitimacy.

He gained 87.28 percent of the vote, weeks after the sudden death of his most vocal critic, Alexey Navalny, in an Arctic prison.

“We will not have a representative at his inauguration,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.

“We certainly did not consider that election free and fair but he is the President of Russia and he is going to continue in that capacity,” he added.

The United Kingdom and Canada said they would not send anyone to the ceremony, while a spokesperson for the European Union told a news agency the bloc’s Ambassador to Russia would not attend the inauguration, in keeping with the position of most of the EU’s member states.

The three Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – which have withdrawn their ambassadors from Moscow – ruled out attending the inauguration.

“We believe that the isolation of Russia, and especially of its criminal leader, must be continued,” Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis said.

He added, “Participation in Putin’s inauguration is not acceptable for Lithuania. Our priority remains support for Ukraine and its people fighting against Russian aggression.”

The Czech Republic is also expected to snub the ceremony, while Germany’s Foreign Office said its representative would not attend – it earlier recalled its ambassador over alleged Russian cyberattacks.

The ceremony is taking place a day after Russia announced plans for a tactical nuclear weapons drill, blaming what it said were “provocative” moves by Western countries over Ukraine.

Already in office for nearly a quarter-century and the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin, Putin’s new term does not expire until 2030, when he is constitutionally eligible to run for another six years.

Illusion Of Legality

“Ukraine sees no legal grounds for recognising him as the democratically elected and legitimate president of the Russian Federation,” Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony, it said, sought to create “the illusion of legality for the nearly lifelong stay in power of a person who has turned the Russian Federation into an aggressor state and the ruling regime into a dictatorship.”

A news agency reported, citing unnamed diplomatic sources that despite the apparent boycotts, France, Hungary and Slovakia are all expected to send representatives to the ceremony.