Putin's election win cements power as Europe debates sanctions on Russia

Vladimir Putin's United Russia party won a record number of seats in Russia's parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results announced Monday, cementing his grip on power amid ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The three-day vote, held through Sunday, excluded genuine opposition parties, with only pro-Kremlin groups allowed to participate. The anti-war Yabloko party was barred, and voting occurred in occupied Ukrainian territories. The EU criticized the elections as having only a "veneer of democracy," while Western nations condemned them as a "sham." Ukraine's foreign minister warned against lifting EU sanctions on two Russian oligarchs, following a preliminary EU agreement to remove them at France and Luxembourg's request. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron planned to urge Donald Trump to maintain US support for Ukraine during their Monday meeting in New York.