No one is congratulating Putin on his election win

Outside of comments from a few authoritarians, Vladimir Putin’s landslide victory in the Russian national election Sunday was met with silence from leaders around the globe.

The only messages of support came from China’s President Xi Jinping and leaders from a few smaller nations, including Kazakhstan, Belarus, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Cuba.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte extended his congratulations, saying he “wishes President Putin more success in leading Russia to greater progress and in advancing the cause of peace and security in our region and in the larger international community.”

Xi, who recently positioned himself to remain in power for the rest of his life, said: “Currently, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership is at the best level in history, which sets an example for building a new type of international relations.”

No Western leader has publicly congratulated Putin, who captured 76 percent of the vote, and none of Russia’s fellow G8 members have made any official comment on the win.

When asked about the victory Monday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas questioned the fairness of the vote, adding that Russia would remain a difficult partner.

None of Putin’s seven opponents posed a credible threat after the main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was banned from taking part.

Putin said Sunday that he was considering making changes to his government, which may include replacing Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister.

If he serves out his six-year term as president, Putin will be Russia’s longest-serving leader since Joseph Stalin.

Cover image: Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a rally of his supporters at Manezhnaya Square near the Moscow’s Kremlin, Russia, March 18, 2018. Vladimir Putin has won the 2018 Presidential Elections. (Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)