France sends envoy to Putin inauguration as Berlin boycotts

France will send its ambassador to the inauguration of Russian President Vladimir Putin for his next six-year term in office on Tuesday, a French diplomatic source said on Monday, in contrast with Germany which said it would not be represented.

Paris' decision suggests a potential split in the Western camp with several countries, including the Baltic states, vehemently opposed to giving Putin any form of legitimacy and potentially undermining Ukraine in its war with Russia after Moscow launched an invasion more than two years ago.

Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide, cementing his already tight grip on power, in Russia's presidential election, held in March just weeks after Putin's most prominent opponent Alexei Navalny died in jail. Western governments condemned the re-election as unfair and undemocratic.

"France will be represented by its ambassador to Russia," a French diplomatic source said.

Franco-Russian relations have deteriorated in recent months as Paris has increased its support for Ukraine. Just last week President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out sending troops to Ukraine saying if Russia broke through Ukrainian front lines it would be legitimate to consider it if Kyiv requested the support.

Germany said it would not send a representative to Putin's inauguration. The Baltic states, which no longer have envoys in Moscow, have also categorically ruled out attending the inauguration.


Reuters