MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin on Thursday congratulated Donald Trump on his election victory in the Russian leader’s first public comment on the outcome of the U.S. balloting.
The remark came during an international forum following a speech in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Putin added that what Trump has said “about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to help end the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, deserves attention at least.”
The Kremlin earlier welcomed Trump’s claim that he could negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine “in 24 hours” but emphasized that it will wait for concrete policy steps.
″I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America,” Putin said in a question-and-answer session at the conference.
As to what he expects from a second Trump presidency, Putin said, “I don’t know what will happen now. I have no idea.”
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“For him, this is still his last presidential term. What he will do is his matter,” Putin said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has emphasized that Moscow views the U.S. as an “unfriendly” country that is directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict. He dismissed arguments that Putin’s failure to reach out quickly to Trump could hurt future ties, saying that Moscow’s relations with Washington already are at the “lowest point in history” and arguing that it will be up to the new U.S. leadership to change the situation.
The Kremlin’s cautious stand reflected its view of the U.S. vote as a choice between two unappealing possibilities. While Trump is known for his admiration of Putin, the Russian leader has repeatedly noted that during Trump’s first term, there were “so many restrictions and sanctions against Russia like no other president has ever introduced before him.”