Argentina’s President Fernandez tells Putin ‘the world needs unity and peace’ in swipe at Ukraine invasion after Russian leader called to congratulate him on World Cup victory

• Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez took a pointed swipe at Vladimir Putin 
• Russian foreign ministry tweeted that President Putin had ‘warmly congratulated’ Fernandez on Argentina’s World Cup win against France
• But Fernanez pointedly said that the ‘joy that unites Argentina with so many people of the world’ should serve as example of the importance of peace

Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez today told Vladimir Putin ‘the world needs unity and peace’ in a pointed swipe at the invasion of Ukraine after the Russian leader called him to congratulate him on his country’s World Cup victory.

The Russian foreign ministry tweeted that Putin had ‘warmly congratulated’ Fernandez on Lionel Messi’s team beating France 4-2 in the penalty shootout in the World Cup final.

But Fernanez pointedly replied to the tweet and said that the ‘joy that unites Argentina with so many people of the world’ should serve as example of the importance of peace amid Russia’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine.

Argentina was one of the few Latin American countries to call for Putin to withdraw his troops from Ukraine when they invaded in February this year.

Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez today told Vladimir Putin (pictured together on February 3 before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine) ‘the world needs unity and peace’ in a pointed swipe at the invasion of Ukraine after the Russian leader called him to congratulate him on his country’s World Cup victory. 

Fernanez pointedly replied to the tweet and said that the ‘joy that unites Argentina with so many people of the world’ should serve as example of the importance of peace amid Russia’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine

And today, Fernandez took another swipe at Russia’s war, with the Argentinian President tweeting: ‘Thank you for this greeting President Putin. May the joy that today unites Argentina with so many peoples of the world serve as an example: our societies need unity and peace.’

In February, Argentina joined Colombia and Chile in calling for a swift withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, as other Latin American countries rejected the use of force but stopped short of calling for a Russian exit. 

Meanwhile in Argentina, more than a million fans packed the streets of Buenos Aires after their team’s World Cup Victory.

Argentina’s football team celebrate winning the World Cup following their victory over France

Fans were ecstatic after a nail-biting victory on penalties in the World Cup final over France made the South Americans world champions for the first time since 1986.

In a tense and rollercoaster match played in Lusail Stadium in Qatar in front of some 88,000 fans, Argentina, led by star Lionel Messi, took home its third World Cup after beating France, the defending champions, 4-2 on penalties after drawing 3-3 after extra time.

‘I can’t believe it! It was difficult, but we did it, thanks to Messi,’ said Santiago, 13, celebrating the victory with his family in front of the Buenos Aires house that had belonged to late soccer icon Diego Maradona, who led the team in 1986.

During the match, which ended in a 3-3 draw, Lionel Messi scored twice and Kylian Mbappe grabbed a hat-trick in 120 minutes of breathtaking action. 

But the penalty shootout saw Gonzalo Montiel send Hugo Lloris the wrong way to seal a shootout win and a third World Cup title for Argentina. 

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