He declared that Crimea had “returned to its home harbor” and that it will go “hand in hand” with Russia.
A day after declaring a landslide victory in the election, Mr. Putin was speaking to thousands in Red Square, Moscow.
Western nations have denounced the vote as a fraud.
The elections, in which credible opposition candidates were barred from running, “starkly underline the depth of repression under President Putin’s regime,” according to UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron.
Additionally, he emphasized that it was a “abhorrent violation of the UN charter and Ukrainian sovereignty” for Russia to organize elections in occupied Ukrainian territory.
India, China, and Saudi Arabia all congratulated Mr. Putin:
Chinese President Xi Jinping claimed that Russia would “certainly be able to achieve greater achievements in national development and construction” under his direction in a message to the Russian president.
It is his goal to further develop Delhi’s “time-tested special and privileged strategic partnership” with Moscow, according to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
