It is a mark of the Queen’s standing that even Vladimir Putin, in the midst of an undeclared economic and political war between Russia and the West, sent King Charles III his ‘deepest condolences’ after Her Majesty’s death. The Russian leader noted that:
‘The most important events in the recent history of the United Kingdom are inextricably linked with the name of Her Majesty. For many decades, Elizabeth II rightfully enjoyed the love and respect of her subjects, as well as authority on the world stage.’
Calling it a ‘heavy, irreparable loss,’ he wished the King ‘courage and perseverance’ and sent ‘the words of sincere sympathy and support to the members of the royal family and all the people of Great Britain.’
It reflects the strange Anglophilia still strikingly present in Russia
On one level, it would be easy simply to dismiss this as hypocritical cant and the meaningless language of international diplomacy. Yet that is not all there is to it.
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