No letter from Steinmeier
Foreign politicians criticize the “totalitarian traits” of Putin’s regime
March 18, 2024, 8:23 a.m
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Putin is once again confirmed in office. But he is denied recognition in Germany. “These are the least free fake elections since the end of the Soviet Union,” says Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Roth. President Steinmeier is not congratulating Putin this time either.
German foreign policy experts have classified the vote in Russia as manipulated and made serious accusations against President Vladimir Putin. “These are the least free fake elections since the end of the Soviet Union,” said the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael Roth from the SPD, to the “Tagesspiegel”: “The fake elections were in parts contrary to international law. In the temporarily occupied and annexed ones “The elections and the results must not be recognized in Ukrainian areas. Putin’s regime has fascist and totalitarian traits. It needs the war and the conflict with the West as legitimacy.”
There is no opposition in Russia, no independent election observation, the few independent media are banned, civil society is criminalized and the few opposition members are murdered or imprisoned, said Roth: “The regime is more paranoid than ever before. This time there isn’t even one.” systemic’ opposition candidates.” In contrast to Belarus, Putin and his regime are supported by the majority. The SPD foreign politician said: “This is shown not least by the 87 percent approval. I assume election manipulation, but only as much as necessary.”
In Germany there is a “naive hope for a better Russia,” said Roth: “That may exist. But only in homeopathic doses. There is no serious resistance to the regime. Putin is firmly in the saddle. The vast majority is apathetic and apolitical. That’s why we must continue to try to contain Russian imperialism – through deterrence and defensiveness. The best way to do this is through a victory for Ukraine.”
Röttgen sees “pure farce”
The CDU foreign politician Norbert Röttgen spoke of a “farce”. He told the “Tagesspiegel”: “87 percent is the result set by Putin in a pure farce. This farce serves to pseudo-legitimize Putin’s war against Ukraine. New recruitment of soldiers and the deprivations of the war economy in Russia are now being seen as the alleged will of the to the people.”
The FDP parliamentary group vice-president Michael Link, who is responsible for foreign policy, told the “Tagesspiegel”: “Putin’s ‘re-election’ was secured from the outset because all opponents had been murdered, arrested, banished or excluded from participation beforehand.” Link continued: “The height of cynicism is the claimed record approval rating of 88 percent. The courageous actors in civil society who demonstrated against these pseudo-elections deserve all the more respect. Russia also did not allow independent election observation by the OSCE.”
This time Steinmeier is holding back
However, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will not congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his further term in office. “There will be no letter to Putin,” said Steinmeier’s spokeswoman Cerstin Gammelin on Sunday evening in response to a query from “Tagesspiegel”.
Steinmeier had previously released a statement in which he declared: “Today I am thinking of the people in Russia who are fighting for freedom and democracy and who live in constant danger from Putin’s regime. We will not forget these brave people.” Six years ago, Steinmeier congratulated Putin on his re-election. Even then, the vote was overshadowed by allegations of fraud and repression, and Russian troops had been fighting in eastern Ukraine for years.
Steinmeier spokeswoman Gammelin wrote on X on Sunday about “so-called presidential elections in Russia.” This corresponds to the language used by the Foreign Office, which wrote on Sunday, also on X: “The pseudo-elections in Russia are neither free nor fair, the result surprises no one.”