'Brave man': Vladimir Putin congratulates Donald Trump on US election win
Vladimir Putin has congratulated Donald Trump on his election victory in his first public comment on the US vote, and praised the president-elect’s courage during the July assassination attempt.
“His behaviour at the moment of an attempt on his life left an impression on me. He turned out to be a brave man,” the Russian President said on Thursday at an international forum following a speech in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
“He manifested himself in the very correct way, bravely as a man.”
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Putin also said that what Trump had 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 emphasised that it would 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 administration, Putin said, “I don’t know what will happen now. I have no idea.”
“For him, this is still his last presidential term. What he will do is his matter,” said Putin, who this year began a fifth term that will keep him in power until 2030 and could seek six more years in office after that.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin was not ruling out the possibility of contact between Putin and Trump before the inauguration, given Trump “said he would call Putin before the inauguration”.
Peskov has emphasised that Moscow views the US as an “unfriendly” country that was directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict.
He dismissed arguments that Putin’s failure to reach out quickly to Trump could hurt future ties, saying Moscow’s relations with Washington already were at the “lowest point in history” and arguing it would up to the new US leadership to change the situation.
The Kremlin’s cautious stand reflected its view of the US 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”.
