Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated President-elect Donald Trump on his presidential victory on Thursday, according to Politico.
Putin praised Trump’s “manly” response to a previous assassination attempt, according to Politico. The Russian president confirmed that he has not yet talked with the president-elect since the election results were confirmed.
“I take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America,” Putin said on Thursday at the annual meeting of the Valdai Club in Sochi, Politico reported.
When asked if he was prepared to hold discussions with Trump, Putin said his government is “ready,” according to Politico.
“He turned out to be a courageous man,” Putin said, Politico reported. “He showed himself, in my opinion, in a very correct way: courageous, manly.”
Trump made a historic comeback from his 2020 loss after winning the electoral vote by at least a 295-226 margin as of Friday afternoon, according to various reports. Various world leaders have already congratulated Trump on his reelection, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Russia has been engaged in an ongoing war with Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of the country in February 2022. Both sides have been looking to enlist new troops amid a lack of manpower.
Trump has repeatedly criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine War, including criticizing the U.S. banning imports of Russian oil and gas in 2022, and slamming Biden’s decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine in July 2023.
The president-elect has on multiple occasions called for an end to the Russia-Ukraine War. Trump has cited having a “good” relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who Trump held a meeting with in New York in September.
Featured Image Credit: Пресс-служба Президента России
