“All options on the table” – including attending Vladimir Putin’s inauguration ceremony

I wasn’t aware that “all options on the table” with regards to your belligerent opponent also meant attending his inauguration ceremony. France was one of the few European countries that attended Vladimir Putin’s inauguration ceremony among Slovakia, Hungary, Cyprus, Greece and Malta.

Both Slovakia and Hungary have governments that are friendly to Russia, while Cyprus and Greece maintain extensive economic relationships with Russia. In comments to the Times of Malta, Malta’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the presence of Malta’s ambassador at the ceremony was to preserve the diplomatic reach of the OSCE, which it currently presides over.. Malta could have afforded not to attend, but so far, the most EU member states still recognise Valdimir Putin as Russia’s legitimate President.

Mark Camilleri

Website Editor
Historian and Publisher