France to Send Ambassador to Russia Amid EU Boycott on Putin’s 'Inauguration'

France will send their ambassador to Vladimir Putin’s self-proclaimed inauguration on May 7, as reported by Reuters on May 7.

A diplomatic source in Paris, speaking to Reuters, confirmed that “France will be represented by its ambassador to Russia.”

While 20 EU member states are planning to boycott Putin’s “inauguration,” the remaining 7 intend to dispatch representatives.

The source added that France has previously criticized the conditions surrounding the elections:

“France took note of the results of the presidential elections in Russia on March 18, strongly condemning the context of repression in which they took place, depriving voters of a real choice, as well as the organization of so-called elections in the illegally temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which is a violation of international law and the UN Charter, as we stated in a public statement. The participation of our ambassador does not mean that we consider Putin’s election legitimate or that we ‘recognize’ him, it only means that we have an embassy in Moscow.”

Apart from France, Hungary and Slovakia are also expected to participate among the EU countries.

EU’s Ambassador to Russia, Roland Garharague, stated that he, along with many of his EU counterparts, will not attend the ceremony. Germany and the Baltic states have similarly confirmed their boycott.

Putin received congratulations on his “victory” from various world leaders, including North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Venezuelan and Nicaraguan leaders Nicolas Maduro and Daniel Ortega, presidents of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Emomali Rahmon, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.