Scholz will not congratulate Putin on his "re-election"

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will not congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his "re-election" as president of the Russian Federation, as Berlin considers last weekend’s presidential elections in Russia neither free nor fair.

Commenting on the "elections" in Russia, Deputy Government Spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann noted to German newspaper Tagesschau that the chancellor had not congratulated Putin.

"These were neither democratic nor fair elections. Russia... is now a dictatorship and is ruled by Vladimir Putin in an authoritarian manner," she stressed.

Earlier, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock indicated that Russians had no real choice during last weekend's presidential vote.

The German Foreign Ministry had previously stated that the sham elections in Russia were neither free nor fair, and their result was no surprise to anyone.

In addition, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced that he would not congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his "re-election".

The European Union has criticised the "presidential elections" in Russia as being held with numerous restrictions, without the participation of any real opposition, and with voting in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.