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EU not concerned about the presence of six member states at Putin’s swearing-in ceremony

The European Union is not concerned about the fact that six member states sent a diplomatic representative to Vladimir Putin’s swearing-in as president of Russia on Tuesday. A “fact of life“, says a spokesperson for EU foreign representative Josep Borrell.

Putin was inaugurated as Russian president for the fifth time on Tuesday, after elections that international observers say were neither fair nor transparent. The Kremlin had invited foreign diplomatic representatives to attend the inauguration, but most sent their cats. Six Member States of the European Union, including France, Hungary, Slovakia, Greece, Malta and Cyprus, did send a delegation.

“This does not call into question European policy towards Russia and Ukraine. It is a rather protocol matter,” said a spokesperson for Borrell. “Think of it as a ‘fact of life‘, which reflects how European foreign policy is shaped: either through a common position reached unanimity, or through bilateral policy that the member states shape themselves. It is their sovereign decision to participate in such events. The European position is very clear, the participation of a number of diplomats in a protocol event does not call that position into question.”