President of the European Council Charles Michel stated that the presidential elections in Russia in 2024, in which the current leader of the country Vladimir Putin will run, will not be fair and transparent.
Speaking in an interview with Radio Liberty in Brussels, Michel did not directly answer whether the EU would recognize the results of the presidential elections in Russia, considering that voting is planned in the occupied Ukrainian territories. However, he emphasized that the EU does not expect the elections in Russia to adhere to democratic standards.
"You know that we have taken very bold decisions on sanctions against Russia and the Russian leadership. We are not naive and do not believe that these elections will be fair and transparent," emphasized Michel.
He also considered the possible next presidential term of Vladimir Putin as very predictable.
"We know that there is a real threat to the security of the European continent with this regime in the Kremlin. The threat is not hypothetical but real. So, we have to develop our European sovereignty. We need to develop more tools, work to gain more influence and protect our values and interests. We must build strong alliances and cooperate with the rest of the world," said the head of the European Council.
Charles Michel emphasized the need to "counter Russian fake news and narratives because we know that Russia's goal is to destabilize our democratic models."
"In this regime, Russia is afraid of democratic principles. In fact, they panic when they see that more and more neighboring countries want to develop political systems based on human dignity, freedoms, and democratic principles. And perhaps one of the reasons for Russia's decision to invade Ukraine is that Ukrainians have made a very clear, free choice... We see that in Russia, there is political will to develop an authoritarian model. And they know that democracy is a threat to them," concluded the top EU official.
