Vladimir Putin extends condolences to Britain after death of Queen

As tributes have poured in from across the world following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has also extended his condolences.

In the midst of prosecuting his bloody and brutal war against Ukraine that has set relations between Russia and Britain to even lower lows, Putin reached out to King Charles III in a telegram.

‘The most important events in the recent history of the United Kingdom are inextricably linked with the name of Her Majesty,’ the Russian tyrant wrote.

‘For many decades, Elizabeth II rightfully enjoyed the love and respect of her subjects, as well as authority on the world stage.

‘I wish you courage and perseverance in the face of this heavy, irreparable loss. I ask you to convey the words of sincere sympathy and support to the members of the royal family and all the people of Great Britain.’

The condolences come after the Queen herself appeared to have subtly got the measure of Putin when they met back in 2003 during a state visit to the UK – the first by a Russian leader since the reign of Queen Victoria, when Alexander II visited in 1874.

Under the Labour government of Tony Blair, then-Home Secretary David Blunkett’s guide dog reacted defensively at the presence of the Russian president. 

Mr Blunkett told the BBC : ‘The only time I met Vladimir Putin was back in 2003 on an official visit and my then dog barked very loudly.

‘I did apologise to the Queen who was obviously hosting. I don’t think I am giving anything away when I said, ‘Sorry your Majesty about the dog barking.’

She said: ‘Dogs have interesting instincts, don’t they?”

Putin – notorious for his lax punctuality – had kept the Queen waiting 14 minutes prior to their meeting. 

The Queen and Putin were to meet again in June 2014 during a D-Day commemoration event in France.

The event had come just months after Charles was alleged to have presciently compared Putin’s regime to that of Nazi Germany, which seemed to have soured relations considerably. 

After a group photo with world leaders, the Queen was helped down a set of steps by then US President Barack Obama and New Zealand’s Governor-General Jerry Mateparae.

But Putin, who was standing next to her and in a position to help looked away. 

But regardless of their leader’s antipathy to Her Majesty, ordinary Russians have been laying flowers in remembrance of the Queen outside the British embassy in Moscow.

In the pre-Putin, the Queen paid a visit to the Russian capital on the invitation of Boris Yeltsin in 1994 in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The visit passed off without controversy as both countries were keen to improve bilateral relations and points of contention had yet to fester.

When the Queen and Prince Phillip landed, they were then taken to the Kremlin where they were greeted by Yeltsin and his wife, Naina. 

The Royal pair were also treated to a special performance of the Bolshoi Ballet. 

The Queen came to the throne during the final days of the rule of Josef Stalin and saw 11 Russian and Soviet leaders come and go during her reign.

Similarly, she saw 14 US presidents come and go during her reign. She met all of them personally, with the exception of  Lyndon B. Johnson.

Earlier today, Putin’s arch nemesis, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had offered his condolences. 

‘It is with deep sadness that we learned of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,’ he wrote on Twitter. 

‘On behalf of the UA people, we extend sincere condolences to the @RoyalFamily, the entire United Kingdom and the Commonwealth over this irreparable loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.’

It is a rare moment when the two warring leaders are united. On the battlefield, however, it appears that the initiative has finally swung to the Ukrainian side after six months of Russian offensives. 

A counter-offensive was launched in the Kherson region ten days ago which spooked the Russians, but appeared to be making slow progress.

However, now, through the fog of war, it is appearing that this might have been a clever gambit by Ukrainian generals to distract Russian troops and fool them into massing their troops in a position that is difficult to resupply.

Some of Putin’s best men are now all-but trapped in the city, bullied by Ukrainian artillery and with no easy way to retreat back across the Dnipro River after HIMARS strikes destroyed the main bridges. 

These clever tactics saw Ukraine’s commanders draw Russian troops into the south of the country before pinning them down with a counter-attack around the city of Kherson. 

Meanwhile, there have been reports of a dramatic Ukrainian offensive in the east near Kharkiv that has punched through thin Russian lines and is leading a breakout in what had become a static and attritional war.

Those troops are now rapidly advancing, threatening key supply lines into Donbas. As Dr Mike Martin, an ex-British army officer now at King’s College, put it on Twitter yesterday: ‘If [Ukraine] pulls that off, it’s serious rout time.’

Putin is once again staring an embarrassing defeat in the face. If his troops are forced to pull back from Kherson and abandon their assault in Donbas, it will be hard even for him to play off the invasion as a success.

Meanwhile Ukraine is hailing its successes. According to one commander who spoke out today, troops have now recaptured a total of 270 square miles of territory across both fronts – a long way from victory, but no small feat.