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As Western leaders across the board criticise the Russian elections, Italy’s deputy prime minister has diverged from the messaging of his peers.
While the elections are widely considered to be neither free nor fair, Matteo Salvini said the voters’ verdict must be accepted.
Mr Salvini, who is leader of the far-right League party and was a staunch ally of Vladimir Putin before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said the outcome must be accepted because “when people vote they are always right”.
“They voted and we acknowledge that, hoping that 2024 will be the year of peace,” he told reporters in Milan.
Last month, Mr Salvini drew criticism in Italy over his response to the death of Mr Putin’s most prominent opponent, Alexei Navalny.
Even as most Western governments blamed Moscow for causing Mr Navalny’s death – an accusation rejected by the Kremlin – Mr Salvini said judgement should be withheld until “Russian doctors and judges” establish the truth.
His latest comments further highlight tensions within the coalition government in Italy.
Antonio Tajani, the foreign minister and a deputy prime minister, said the country’s foreign policy stance “is that of the foreign minister” in response to Mr Salvini’s comments.
Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister, has yet to comment on the Russian vote, but has voiced robust support from Italy to Ukraine over the course of the war.