Get some yourself – Putin sends Orban and Erdogan New Year’s greetings

“We have no contact with them. And given the continued unkind acts they commit, the president will not send them greetings,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. Putin would also not receive happy New Year’s wishes from Biden, Macron and Scholz.

The Russian head of state has already wished other top politicians such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic a Happy New Year 2023. Putin wrote to Orban that despite the complicated international environment, relations between the two countries are developing in a positive direction. Cooperation on outstanding bilateral issues should continue.

Berlusconi and Schröder among the recipients
On Friday, the Kremlin published a list of politicians who received greetings. Among them are the heads of state and government of China, India, Venezuela and Syria. In addition, good wishes were sent to two former heads of government: former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Schröder is, among other things, chairman of the supervisory board of Nord Stream AG, the operator of pipelines in the Baltic Sea, and was criticized for his pro-Russian stance. Berlusconi is considered an old friend of Putin and caused a sensation in Italy with his statements about the war in Ukraine.