Vladimir Putin implies he will not respect the Olympic truce

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that he will not respect the Olympic truce and will continue fighting in Ukraine during the Paris Olympics, contrary to the wishes of his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. “These Olympic principles, including the Olympic Truce, are very fair […] But few countries have respected it in history, with the exception of ancient Greece.Vladimir Putin explained to the Russian press on Friday May 17, after a two-day trip to China.

For the Russian leader, as Russia was excluded from the Paris Games because of its invasion of Ukraine, it would not have to comply with the principles of the International Olympic Committee. “International sports officials are today violating the principles of the Olympic Charter […] towards Russia by preventing our athletes from participating in the Olympics under their flag, with their national anthem, but they want us to comply with the rules they impose on us.”did he declare. “To demand something from others, you must respect the rules yourself”he concluded.

Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and demands the annexation of five Ukrainian regions. The Russian army has also just launched a new offensive in the northern region of Kharkiv. Emmanuel Macron assured that he wanted “do everything” to have an Olympic truce across the world during the Olympics. He said that President Xi Jinping had given him his support in early May.

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, who met at length in Beijing on Thursday, did not publicly discuss the subject. Russia had already waged war on Georgia during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when Tbilisi wanted to regain control of a separatist territory supported by Moscow.