The quote is taken out of context. The State Department spokesman emphasized that the United States does not consider the elections to be democratic, and therefore did not attend Putin’s inauguration.
Pro-Russian sources are spreading the news that the US State Department has recognized Putin as the president of Russia. In the comments to these publications, social media users interpret the statement as a «bad signal for Ukrainians» and even «a direct order for Ukrainians to surrender.»
In reality, the quote from Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the US State Department, is taken out of context. During a briefing on May 6, 2024, he was asked whether representatives of the United States would boycott Vladimir Putin’s inauguration on May 7. Miller reported that the United States would not be present at the ceremony and suggested that the correspondent «draw her own conclusions from this.» When asked whether the United States considers Putin a legitimate president, Miller replied that the state does not recognize the election and considers it neither free nor fair, but Putin is the president of Russia and will continue to act in that role. After that, the nuclear threat from Russia and the prospects of new sanctions were discussed at the briefing. Thus, although Miller did call Putin the president of Russia, pro-Kremlin sources completely ignored the unfavorable context of the statement.
Earlier, the Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry published a statement in which it refused to recognize Putin as the president of Russia due to violations of numerous international agreements during the election, namely the UN Charter, the Declaration on the Principles of International Law, the Geneva Convention on the Protection of the Civilian Population in Time of War, etc. The inauguration of Vladimir Putin was also boycotted by Canada, Great Britain and most of the member states of the European Union.This is not the first time Russian propaganda has tried to legitimize elections in Russia with such fakes. Earlier, StopFake refuted the news that the Pope congratulated Putin on his «victory» in the presidential election.
