When asked whether the United States would send an embassy representative to the "inauguration" of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller replied: "No, we will not have a representative at his inauguration."
He did, however, reiterate Washington's previous position that it would continue to recognise Vladimir Putin as president of Russia.
"We definitely do not recognise those elections (presidential – ed.) in Russia as free and fair, but he is the president of Russia and will continue to act in that role," the State Department spokesman explained.
The inauguration will take place on 7 May.
20 EU countries will boycott the event, but seven will be represented, a European diplomat told Reuters.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has spoken out against the EU's participation in the event, his spokesman Peter Stano told the press.
However, the positions of European countries are divided. Thus, the French ambassador plans to attend the ceremony, Reuters reports, citing sources in the country's foreign ministry.
Germany, on the other hand, said that its country would not be represented.
The Baltic states have strongly opposed participation in the ceremony.
"Lithuania will not take part in Putin's fake inauguration theatre on 7 May," tweeted Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
His Estonian counterpart, Margus Tskahkna, said: "Estonia cannot legitimise diplomatic relations with the aggressor country, and we have decided not to participate in Putin's inauguration ceremony."
Tsakhkna recalled, according to ERR, that Putin is "waging a war of aggression in Europe, killing and deporting innocent people, carrying out hybrid attacks on EU and NATO members" and said that "participation in ceremonies that prolong his rule is unthinkable".
In a tweet, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže also objected to the presence at the inauguration of "the head of an aggressor state that attacks everything we stand for."
The Czech Republic will also not be represented at the inauguration, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky told Czech television.
"The current state of relations between the Czech Republic and Russia is not suitable for a representative of our embassy to attend the inauguration of the Russian president on Tuesday," Lipavsky said.
The ambassadors of Poland and Germany to Russia will not participate in the "inauguration" of the Kremlin ruler.
As a reminder, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has called for Putin not to be recognised as president of Russia. "Ukraine sees no legal grounds for recognising him as the democratically elected and legitimate president of the Russian Federation," the Ukrainian ministry said in a statement.