The United States on Monday described the election held in Russia as as “undemocratic” and said it will not congratulate President Vladimir Putin, who was declared winner by a sweeping margin..READ FULL ARTICLE HERE>>>>>
State Department spokesman Vedant Patel responded sarcastically, “I was on the edge of my seat. It was such a nail-biter.” when asked about Putin’s reelection.
“This was an incredibly undemocratic process,” Patel told reporters.
Asked if the United States was withholding recognition of the result, as urged by some dissidents, Patel said, “I think it is safe to say that there certainly won’t be congratulatory calls coming from the United States of America.”
“He is likely to remain the president of Russia, but that does not excuse him of his autocracy,” Patel said.
Patel has knocked Putin for disqualifying and jailing opponents, and for the death in prison before the vote of one of his most prominent challengers, Alexei Navalny.
Russians “deserve free and fair elections and the ability to choose among a group of candidates representing a diverse set of expressions,” Patel said.
Russians also “deserve access to impartial information to help them choose the leadership that they so desire and help them determine the future of their country,” he said.
“That was clearly not the case in these elections, which were neither free nor fair.”
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The US and Russia have not been in good terms since Putin ordered the invasion and attack of Ukraine in February 2022.
Apart from the condemnation of the election by US, European allies have also questioned the conduct of the election in Russia..READ FULL ARTICLE HERE>>>>>
