Guy Verhofstadt, President of the ALDE Group is visiting Moscow today (5 March 2012) to gauge reactions to the outcome of Russian Presidential elections with Russian civil society groups and to meet with fellow liberals of PARNAS and Yabloko.

"We have today witnessed the last nail in the coffin of Russian democracy. It comes as no surprise as this has been stage managed from the Kremlin over the many years, all to secure the continuous grip of power by the Putin regime. While we can admire and be inspired by the public demonstrations and civic protests following the equally stage managed Duma elections in December 2011, the sad truth is that the Kremlin continues to deny the Russian citizens the Constitutionally guaranteed right for free and fair elections."
"It is now time for the European Union and the United States to reflect long and hard on how to deal with Putin's Russia. There can be no business as usual with a country that disregards basic democratic principles and make a laughing stock of the rule of law."

Kristiina Ojuland, ALDE Russia spokesperson (Reform Party, Estonia) made the following comment:

"In the aftermath of the Presidential elections it is now clear that the European Union does not need to provide the scene for any further photo opportunities for Mr. Putin. The agenda of the bi-annual EU-Russia summits should be seriously reassessed because we cannot continue on other topics until the most important issue is solved. Putin's Russia can't be a "strategic partner" of the European Union until free and fair elections are held following the registration of all democratic opposition parties."

The ALDE Group will host two key events on 6 March in Brussels with civil society organisations and on 13 March Strasbourg with democratic opposition leaders.