Vladimir Putin not invited to Queen's funeral, angry Russia responds as Ukrainian First Lady attends
MOSCOW, RUSSIA: As world leaders from every corner get ready to gather for the Queen's funeral on Monday, September 19, one person of great interest will not be found. King Charles has not invited Russia's president Vladimir Putin but has called for Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska, and the decision is not amusing the people in Kremlin. In a new statement, the Russian officials have slammed UK's decision as "profoundly immoral."
The Kremlin's spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova issued a statement to the Tass saying, "The British Foreign Office informed the Russian embassy in London of its decision to refrain from inviting Russia, including senior embassy officials, to attend mourning ceremonies following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. We believe that the UK’s attempt to take advantage of a national tragedy that touched the hearts of millions of people around the world in order to settle scores with us during the days of mourning is deeply immoral."
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According to The Sun, Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska is among the 500 heads of state and dignitaries invited to the service. The source said, "Olena Zelenska’s presence is yet another sign of the global support for Ukraine while Russia is isolated. Britain is one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies. Her presence at the funeral is a sign of that friendship and mutual respect." Nearly every country got an invitation except Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Russia, Belarus, and Myanmar. The news also upsets the Russians more as Putin has previously mourned the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and also congratulated King Charles on his accession to the throne.
Russia slams UK for not inviting Putin but Ukraine's First Lady
Zakharova went as far as to slam the role played by the Queen during the Second World War saying that it was "particularly cynical" of them not to invite Russia. She reminded that the British army "fought against the Nazis and their Ukrainian collaborators Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevich." She continued, "And now, British elites are on their side. However, Moscow continues to honor the memory of all veterans who contributed to the Victory."
She continued, "The unifying image of Queen Elizabeth II, who has not interfered with politics as a matter of principle during her reign, has not become an obstacle to London's dissenting attacks, which are subject to accomplishing their own conjectural objectives. For our part, we express our profound condolences to the British people for the great loss than befell them." The tension between Russia and UK rises as China is invited, even though the Chinese ambassador to the UK is banned from Parliament after Beijing sanctioned seven British legislators last year over their stance on China. It's reported that Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan may attend.
