Vladimir Putin has genuine support in Russia: Finnish FM

The foreign minister said he hoped Vladimir Putin would take "steps for peace" during his fourth term, "so that normal, rule-based international cooperation could be attained again".

Vladimir Putin

Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini said on Sunday that the voter turnout in Russian presidential election indicates that Vladimir Putin has genuine support in Russia.

Interviewed on national television Yle, Soini said that the 70 per cent support for Putin and the voter turnout at around 60 per cent denote “a sort of stability” in Russia, reports Xinhua. “Putin is a leader chosen by the Russians themselves,” Soini said.

The foreign minister said he hoped Putin would take “steps for peace” during his fourth term, “so that normal, rule-based international cooperation could be attained again”. Soini did not take a stand on whether some irregularities reported should be taken up with the Russians.

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