The Kremlin stated on Wednesday that Vladimir Putin never intended to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s burial in response to rumors that he wasn’t even invited to the forthcoming historic service due to his invasion of Ukraine.
CNN reports that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin “had sent a message of condolences” to the royal family following the death of the Queen last week.
According to Peskov, the president had no plans from the beginning to participate in memorial or other ceremonies.
Peskov’s remarks followed this week’s rumors that delegates from Russia, Belarus, and Myanmar will not be invited to the funeral of the Queen.
This week, a senior British government source told CNN that Russia and its close ally Belarus will not be permitted to attend the funeral at London’s Westminster Abbey due to Putin’s unprovoked, nearly seven-month conflict in Ukraine.
On Monday, hundreds of international dignitaries and world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, will attend the state funeral of the late monarch.
The Queen, who passed away on September 8 at the age of 96, will lay in state at Westminster Hall for four days before to her funeral so that the public can pay its respects.
Since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February, the United Kingdom has sanctioned over one thousand individuals and over one hundred enterprises in Russia.