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Vladimir Putin was the winner of this weekend’s European elections. Increasingly pressured by the Western community, which has expanded economic sanctions and threatens to bring the invasion of Ukraine to court, the Russian leader was not a candidate, but saw the reappointment of two allies at a crucial moment of joining forces.
The first of these is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, elected on Sunday for his fifth term. Close to Putin, with whom he shares ideological views, the far-rightist reaffirmed his alignment in the speech to make the result official. He cited the Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky as one of his opponents — as well as the European Union.
Hungary is part of the European bloc — where it has been the target of retaliation for violations of the rule of law — as well as NATO, a US-led military alliance. Regarding the war in Ukraine, he walks between the West and Putin, condemning the invasion while patting the Russian president and defending that sanctions against the country are not extended.
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The country voted in favor of EU-approved economic sanctions on Russia, but is against measures that affect Russian oil and gas imports;
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Orbán spoke out against the shipment of weapons from the West to Ukraine and did not authorize the passage of these cargoes through his country.
Mediation: this Wednesday (6), the Hungarian prime minister spoke with Putin and offered Budapest as the venue for a new meeting with Ukraine to negotiate a ceasefire.
Another who was congratulated by Putin on Sunday was Aleksandar Vucic, re-elected president of Serbia with 60% of the vote. The country maintains military ties with Moscow and is dependent on Russian gas, which is why it opposes sanctions.
On the European support map, the Kremlin has Belarus as its main ally.
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Aleksandr Lukashenko’s regime carried out military exercises with Moscow before the invasion and was included in Western sanctions;
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The country voted against two UN resolutions that condemned the attack — along with Russia itself, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria.
In Latin America, the Russian leader received a nod from Venezuela. Just over a week after the invasion of Ukrainian territory, dictator Nicolás Maduro spoke with Putin by phone about expanding a strategic partnership between their countries and expressed support for the war.
Understand: Caracas, also a target of international sanctions, criticizes US actions and blames the country and its allies for a disinformation campaign.
Putin counts on the help of China — as we treat here, in an edition of the newsletter. Beijing adopts a dubious stance and should be the main beneficiary of an eventual economic isolation from Russia.
Do not get lost
How is the distribution of support between countries in the context of the war in Ukraine?
The Economist Intelligence Unit, the research arm of the British magazine The Economist, has mapped the situation. Here we present the conclusions:
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36% of the world’s population lives in countries that condemn Russia’s action. The bloc is led by the US and the European Union and includes Canada, Japan, Australia and traditionally neutral countries such as Switzerland, Finland and Sweden;
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32% live in nations where the government supported Russia’s actions or made statements favorable to the invading country, such as Syria, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and, to a lesser extent (through the official discourse of neutrality), China;
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almost a third of the population lives in places that until now have been declared neutral, such as India, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. According to the Economist, a significant part of this group would tend to align with Russia if tensions escalate.
What happened this Wednesday (6)
picture of the day
What to see and hear to stay informed
Podcast analyzes the consequences of the discovery of civilian bodies in Ukraine and a video shows the mobilization of NGOs and families to shelter pets in the war:
