As Prime Minister Vladimir Putin reacts angrily to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s criticism of the recent Russian parliamentary elections; as former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev calls for annulling the election results; and as opposition protests gather momentum; Putin has found support from… Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
Haaretz reports:
… Lieberman met with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday, and said that he believes the recent elections in Russia were fair and democratic, the Russian news agency Itar-Tass reported.
According to the report, Lieberman said that he shares the view of the Israeli observers who oversaw the election in Russia, who said they were fair and democratic.
I don’t know who these Israeli observers were, or even if they exist, but Russian opposition and monitoring groups are claiming that up to 25 percent of the votes for Putin’s United Russia party were fabricated.
That the likes of Lieberman finds common ground with the likes of Putin doesn’t surprise me in the least. But if Lieberman thinks that by sucking up to Putin on this he will persuade Russia to take a harder line on Iran and its nuclear program, I’m afraid he’s sadly mistaken.
