Only two EU states sent their representatives to the investiture of Vladimir Putin. The day before, the Russian leader ordered nuclear drills

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Six more years with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Putin was sworn in as president for the fifth time. He promised the Russians that he would bring them victory and that under his leadership they would fulfill all their dreams. He also had a message for the West. After yesterday he ordered the army to start military maneuvers with nuclear weapons, today he says that Moscow is ready to sit down at the negotiating table, only from a position of equality. The Romanian ambassador did not go to the Kremlin ceremony.

By the Observator editorial team on 07.05.2024, 19:18

A moment in recovery for Putin: the golden gates of the Kremlin open to him, and hundreds of people applaud a new six-year term at the head of the country. With his hand on the constitution, the longest-serving Russian leader after Stalin swore allegiance to the Russians. The fifth time. “I swear to respect and protect the rights and freedoms of man and the citizen, to respect and defend the constitution of the Russian Federation, to protect the sovereignty, independence, security and integrity of the state and to faithfully serve the Russian people,” declared Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia .

The Romanian ambassador refused the invitation to the ceremony, as did 19 other colleagues from the European Union

The President of the Constitutional Court handed Putin the symbols of presidential power. The scene began, as always, in his office in the first building of the Kremlin. Putin skims through the speech, wraps up his coat and starts down the long, empty hallway. Just like six years ago, he stops to study a painting. He then gets into the presidential limousine, a brand new Aurus, which takes him to the Grand Palace of the Kremlin. The inauguration took place in the imposing hall of Saint Andrew, polished with gold, used for coronations since the time of Emperor Alexander the Second. 2,500 guests gave him a standing ovation. The speech followed.

“We do not reject the dialogue with the Western states. A dialogue, including on issues of security and strategic stability, is possible. But not from positions of strength!”, said Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia. The ceremony ended with cannon fire. On sleet and a cold worthy of the beginning of winter, he inspected the presidential regiment, then went to receive the blessing of Patriarch Kiril. “May God help you in everything! Lead worthy of the Great Fatherland – Holy Russia, which today is not going through the easiest moments in history. And I will boldly say: God Help that the end of the century means the end of your stay in power”, he declared Kirill, Patriarch of Russia.

Putin was 47 years old when he first took the oath of office. It was happening in the year 2000, when the first peaceful transfer of power took place after the fall of the Soviet Union. A young Putin, with an unsteady step and a suit that was too big, took Boris Yeltsin’s place at the head of the Russian Federation. From mandate to mandate, the attitude changed significantly. The leader of Chechnya, the president of Cuba and the American actor Steven Seagal, a close friend of the leader from the Kremlin, who also offered him Russian citizenship in 2016, attended the swearing-in ceremony.

The Romanian ambassador refused the invitation to the ceremony, as did 19 other colleagues from the European Union. Diplomats from Great Britain and the United States did the same. Only France and Hungary chose to send their representatives. The international press did not attach importance to the event. Numerous Western military leaders have warned in recent months that Russia is expected to attack a NATO state in the coming years. Yesterday, Vladimir Putin ordered the military to begin nuclear drills near Ukraine in response to military aid from NATO nations.