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Vladimir Putin claimed victory in the Russian presidential elections on Sunday evening. In his victory speech, he talked about opponent Alexei Navalny and the war in Ukraine, among other things.
Source: Belga, Reuters, Sky NewsSunday March 17, 2024 at 11:12 PM
The official results will not be available until Monday, but Putin – not unexpectedly – claimed victory on Sunday evening. He will therefore start a fifth term as president of Russia.
He began his victory speech, which was broadcast on state television, by thanking citizens. “We are one and the same team, all the citizens of Russia who went to the polling stations and voted,” he said to his team campaign. “The results of the elections show the confidence of the country’s citizens and their hope that we will do everything as planned.”
Putin assured that Russia will not be “intimidated” or “crush” after two years of conflict in Ukraine and crisis with the West. “It doesn’t matter who wants to intimidate us or crush us,” Putin said. “No one in history has ever managed to do something like this. This didn’t work today and won’t work in the future.”
Peace negotiations with Ukraine
The war in Ukraine was also one of the topics he addressed in his speech. For example, he said that Russian troops were making progress every day in Ukraine and that his forces had the upper hand on the front lines.
He also said Russia should consider who it could talk to about the possibility of peace in Ukraine, suggesting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not an option. He said the presence of Western troops in Ukraine could bring the world to the brink of World War III, but said he did not think anyone was interested in such a scenario.
Putin also said Russia is ready to hold talks on a French proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine during the Olympics, but that this must take into account Russia’s interests on the front line. (Read more below the photo)
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Prisoner exchange with Navanly
Putin also could not ignore Navalny after his election victory. The supporters of the Kremlin opponent had organized a protest at the polling stations on Sunday afternoon at 12 noon. Putin said that it had “no effect”. “Those who forged ballots should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.
The Russian president also said he had agreed to a prisoner swap involving Navalny before he died in prison last month. The main condition for the swap was that Navalny would not return to Russia, Putin said.
Ties with China
As usual, the Russian president also criticized the West, mainly targeting the Americans. But he also said that the relationship between Russia and China will become stronger in the future. He congratulated China for their success on the world stage.
© REUTERS