Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his elections victory today (Tuesday). Putin finished the three-day elections with a majority of 87% of the votes. Haniyeh praised the Russian leader for his "position supporting the Palestinian cause, as a counter to American support for Israel" while calling for strengthening ties and cooperation between Moscow and Hamas leadership.
Haniyeh was joined by the world's worst dictators in congratulating Putin. Iran, which has provided thousands of kamikaze drones to the Russian army during the war in Ukraine, also praised him for the victory. The Islamic Republic's President Ebrahim Raisi congratulated Putin on his unequivocal win.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also congratulated Putin, saying that, "your election to another term is proof of the complete support of the Russian people." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing said that it is convinced that the relations between the two countries will "continue to develop", and that strategic cooperation between the two will intensify.
China, Iran and North Korea...and others
Syrian President Bashar Assad - who receives aid from Russia during the civil war in his country - said that his victory in the elections, "by a large margin, confirms the great confidence that the Russian people have in him." Like the Chinese president, Assad also said he hoped for continued cooperation with Moscow.
"The results are, of course, amazing," said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. This is an important message to the West, which tried to destabilize Russia."
A greeting also came from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who said today that Russian voters showed "unwavering support" for their president. According to Kim, Putin's election to another term indicates, "the appreciation of the Russian people for your extraordinary leadership."
Putin also received congratulations from India and the United Arab Emirates - which until the war in Ukraine preferred allies in the West, but have cozied up to Russia since the Biden administration asserted power, proving its weakness and lack of determination.