World Leaders Snub Putin but Hollywood Action Star Saves the Day

Most world leaders were a no-show at Vladimir Putin’s swearing-in ceremony Tuesday, but that’s okay, because the Russian leader had B-list action movie stars, a leather-clad pop star, and resident lawn gnome/Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov to cheer him on.

A total of six European Union countries sent envoys to attend the inauguration ceremony, including France, whose president recently floated the idea of sending troops to Ukraine. Hungary, Slovakia, Greece, Malta, and Cyprus were also represented at the Kremlin ceremony, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Most other countries opted to boycott the event, with Estonia’s foreign minister issuing a public reminder on X that Putin may be Russia’s leader but he is also “wanted for war crimes.”

Read more at The Daily Beast.