Russian President, Vladimir Putin has congratulated Donald Trump on his U.S election victory, praising the Republican’s “manly” reaction to an attempted assassination and stating that he is “ready” to speak with the president-elect.
Speaking at the annual Valdai Club meeting in Sochi on Thursday, Putin officially broke his silence, offering his congratulations after initially withholding public well-wishes.
He said, “I take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America.”
Putin revealed that, despite receiving calls from Western leaders following the election, he had not yet spoken to Trump but was open to communication.
“If any of them wants to resume contact, I have always said and I want to say again: we have nothing against it,” Putin stated.
When asked directly if he would be willing to engage with Trump even before his inauguration, Putin responded affirmatively: “We are ready, ready.”
During his campaign, Trump had made bold claims about his ability to swiftly end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, promising that he could broker a peace deal in a single day.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Trump’s assertions, claiming any such deal would be detrimental to Ukraine.
Putin expressed uncertainty about how Trump’s foreign policy would unfold once in office, given that his campaign remarks were made in the heat of election rhetoric.
Nevertheless, Putin acknowledged Trump’s stated desire to “restore relations with Russia” and end the Ukrainian crisis, calling it a position “worthy of attention.”
Throughout his campaign, Trump has repeatedly expressed admiration for Putin, calling him a strong leader, a sentiment that Putin seemed to reciprocate.
The Russian president complimented Trump’s “manly” response to the July assassination attempt against him, noting, “He turned out to be a courageous man. He showed himself, in my opinion, in a very correct way: courageous, manly.”
