Vladimir Putin was sworn in for the fifth term as Russian President today. That means a 71 year old man can rule the country for 6 more years.
Many European countries, including the United States and Austria, boycotted the ceremony in Moscow because of the war of aggression against Ukraine. Putin was re-elected in March, but the West did not recognize the election.
Putin, who has dominated the country’s politics for 24 years, set a record by winning more than 87 percent of the vote in the presidential election held last March.
Dialogue with the West is only at “eye level”.
He does not rule out dialogue with the West, but only on an equal footing, Putin said at his fifth term inauguration in Moscow. In a short speech, Putin also emphasized his openness to relations with other countries, which he described as “the majority of the world.”
Shortly before the inauguration, Ukraine called on the international community to no longer see Putin as Russia’s legitimate head of state. “Ukraine sees no legal basis for recognizing him as the democratically elected and legitimate president of the Russian Federation,” the foreign ministry said in a statement in Kyiv.
