Putin said that he was “ready to have discussions” with Trump.
Putin said that “what (Trump said) in terms of trying to restore relations with Russia and to help bring an end to the ‘Ukrainian Crisis‘, I find at least noteworthy.”
Trump won the presidential vote on November 6, beating his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris. The election will have a major impact on Russia’s conflict in Ukraine. Some fear that Trump may try to cut a deal for Putin at the expense of painful concessions from Kyiv.
Russian officials had mixed reactions to Trump’s win. Some were cautiously optimistic that Washington’s foreign policies might change. Others, however, said they didn’t expect any fundamental changes.
Verstka, a Russian independent news outlet, reported on Nov. 6, that Putin had congratulated Trump through “acquaintances” rather than an official phone call.
Putin claimed indifference towards the results of the vote, and even once said that he preferred Harris as president in a seemingly wry comment. Meanwhile, U.S. Intelligence has accused Russia of interfering in the election to boost Trump’s popularity.
Trump has repeatedly praised and backed Putin. In 2022, he called Russia’s invasion into Ukraine “genius” or “savvy”. Later, Trump blamed U.S. president Joe Biden and President Volodymyr Zelensky for the all-out war in Russia.
According to the new book by journalist Bob Woodward, Trump secretly communicated with Putin up to seven times after leaving office.
Zelensky, who was among the very first to congratulate Trump for his victory in the U.S. Presidential election, expressed hopes for “strong bipartisan US support for Ukraine.” Ukraine’s President said that the two had also had a phone call to discuss a possible follow-up, and agreed to intensify their cooperation.
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