Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated U.S. President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration on Monday and expressed his willingness to engage in dialogue with the incoming White House administration.
“We hear [Trump’s] statements on the need to prevent World War III. We undoubtedly welcome such a disposition and congratulate the elected U.S. president,” Putin said during a televised session of Russia’s Security Council.
The Kremlin leader highlighted the potential for restoring relations with the United States, referencing remarks by Trump and his team about re-establishing direct communication.
“We see [Trump’s] and his team’s statements on their wish to restore direct contacts with Russia, which the outgoing [Biden] administration had cut off through no fault of our own,” Putin said.
Moscow, Putin added, has “never turned down this dialogue” and remains ready to pursue cooperation with any U.S. administration, but stressed that such relations must be based on “equality and mutual respect.”
Putin’s tone on Monday marked a shift from the Kremlin’s stance in November, when it declined to congratulate Trump on his shock election victory, describing the United States as “unfriendly” toward Russia.
U.S.-Russia relations have been at historic lows since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which coincided with a flurry of Western sanctions. Trump, however, has long praised Putin, claiming that he has a “very good relationship” with the Russian leader.
On the campaign trail, Trump promised to swiftly end Russia’s war in Ukraine, while Putin on Monday called for a long-term resolution based on mutual interests, rejecting the notion of a temporary ceasefire to “regroup, rearm and continue the conflict.”
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