Putin’s Russia has consistently positioned itself as a counterbalance to Western dominance in global affairs.
As such, Putin’s predictable victory in the just ended elections, which has been affirmed, is sure to be applauded secretly, if not openly, by leaders benefiting from his rejection of a Western-led global order.
By maintaining a strong grip on power, Putin ensures that Russia remains a potent force opposing Western-led initiatives and interventions.
This serves the interests of both China and North Korea, who seek to assert their own influence while countering Western pressure and containment efforts.
Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, who has centralized control over his own nation like no Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, will not be alone among leaders happy with Putin’s renewed grip on power.
North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un as well as Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko will be thrilled.
Vladimir Putin claimed a landslide victory in Russia’s three-day presidential vote.
After counting 75% of the votes, Russia’s electoral commission said that Putin was leading with 87.14% of the vote.
Nationwide turnout was 74.22 percent when polls closed, election officials said, surpassing 2018 levels of 67.5 percent.
Putin’s victory was never in doubt as his critics are mostly in jail, in exile or dead.
The Russian leader faced no meaningful contest in the election as authorities barred two candidates who had voiced their opposition to the war in Ukraine.
Three other politicians running in the election did not directly question Putin’s authority and their participation was meant to add an air of legitimacy to the race.
In the face of Putin’s predictable victory, Russia’s embattled opposition sought to put together its own show of strength. Long queues formed at several polling stations in Moscow and other Russian cities as people took up a call from Navalny’s widow to head to the polls at noon on Sunday.
Navalny’s team called on voters to spoil their ballot papers, write “Alexei Navalny” across the voting slip or vote for one of the three candidates standing against Putin, though the opposition regards them as Kremlin “puppets.”
By 2029, his tenure will have surpassed that of Joseph Stalin, who ruled the Soviet Union for 29 years, making Putin the country’s longest-serving leader since the Russian empire.
While it claims neutrality, China has bolstered its relationship with Russia since the start of the Kremlin’s war more than two years ago.
Xi Jinping has refused to back away from the “no limits” partnership he declared with the Russian leader weeks before the invasion, while strengthening trade, security, and diplomatic ties.
Also, Kim Jong Un of North Korea recently met Putin in Russia’s Far East during a rare overseas trip that Washington says focused on Moscow buying munitions from Pyongyang.
Xi’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Kim Jong Un’s desire for regional influence align well with Russia’s own regional aspirations.
Putin’s reelection strengthens the likelihood of continued support for these initiatives, whether through infrastructure development, energy cooperation, or diplomatic backing.
Putin’s enduring tenure provides a diplomatic shield for Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un on the global stage. Both leaders can benefit from Russia’s diplomatic clout and expertise.
Putin’s adeptness in navigating complex international relations offers valuable insights and support to his counterparts, shielding them from diplomatic isolation and enhancing their bargaining power in negotiations.
Special Operation In Ukraine To Continue Unabated
In a speech at his campaign headquarters after the election, Putin cast the outcome as a vindication of his decision to defy the West and invade Ukraine.
The war was dominant in his victory speech, as Putin claimed he was securing the border from recent raids by pro-Ukrainian military units and said that his main tasks as President would be the war in Ukraine “strengthening defence capacity and the military,”
“No matter who or how much they want to intimidate us, no matter who or how much they want to suppress us, our will, our consciousness – no one has ever succeeded in anything like this in history. It has not worked now and will not work in the future. Never.”
Vladimir Putin
Putin rejected western criticism of the elections, telling his supporters that it was “expected.”
“What did you want, for them to applaud us? They’re fighting with us in an armed conflict … their goal is to contain our development. Of course they’re ready to say anything,” he said.
When asked about the potential for a direct conflict with NATO, he replied “I think that everything is possible in the modern world … everyone understands that this would be one step from a full-scale third world war.”
“I don’t think that anyone is interested in that,” he added.
He also responded for the first time to the death of Alexei Navalny, claiming he had given approval to exchange the Kremlin critic for Russian prisoners in the west shortly before his death.
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