Not surprising, yeah just France trying to be consistent for show. The rest is Viktor Orban, places with cultural ties to Russia, and Cyprus - which is largely controlled by Russian interests. Meh. Xi's visit was even more limited and lame. The US and the bulk of the EU still have no issue declining to play pretend wrt Russian "democracy." The French are used to dealing with brutal tyrants in Africa, I don't think their attendance automagically confers legitimacy, just that they still want to talk. It's Macron after all, Monsieur Communique. Sure he'll be the guy who talks to the people conducting genocides.
No one really believes an election means anything when one candidate makes all the other candidates die, get declared ineligible, go to prison, or flee into exile. People stuck in an authoritarian police state run by a butthurt dictator might say otherwise though, especially when the state controls what people are allowed to say in public with stiff penalties.
Putin just seems to continually lie to Macron. Told him he wouldn't kill Zelenskyy, but they're still trying. I think Macron is telling those authoritarian twats what they want to hear, while he has no intention of halting his assistance to Ukraine. No declaration of war, not interested in doing regime change, sure - none of that affects French support for Ukraine by way of lethal aid. Will it keep the Foreign Legion out of Ukraine? Maybe, I guess we'll find out soonish.
But the guy who orchestrates elections in illegally annexed territories at gunpoint doesn't get to be taken seriously when it comes to democracy. Doesn't matter who shows up to his after party.
The only thing surprising to me was that Shoigu wasn't there.