Vladimir Putin
On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin was sworn in for a new six-year term at a Kremlin ceremony that was boycotted by the United States and other Western countries, during which he expressed a willingness to engage in nuclear talks with the West.
Putin, 71, who has been president since 1999, begins his new terms more than two years after sending tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, where Russian forces have regained the initiative following a series of setbacks and are looking to expand farther east.
Putin dominates the domestic political landscape. On the international stage, he is involved in a confrontation with Western countries, accusing them of using Ukraine as a vehicle to try to defeat and dismember Russia.
After being sworn in, Putin informed Russia’s political elite that he would not shut down discussions with the West but that it would have to make its own choice about how to deal with his country.
Russian President went on to say that talks on strategic nuclear stability with the West were conceivable, but only on equal terms.
“We are a united and great people and together we will overcome all obstacles, we will bring to life everything we have planned. Together we will be victorious”, the Russian President added.
In March, Putin won a landslide victory in a closely controlled election when two anti-war candidates were excluded on technical grounds.
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