In his first public comments on this week’s US election, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday congratulated President-elect Donald Trump on his victory and commended Trump’s courage during the assassination attempt against him last July.
“His behavior at the moment of an attempt on his life left an impression on me. He turned out to be a brave man," Putin remarked at an international forum following his speech in Sochi, the Black Sea resort city, as quoted by The Associated Press.
"He manifested himself in the very correct way, bravely as a man,” Putin added.
Putin also acknowledged Trump’s expressed “desire to restore relations with Russia, to help end the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, deserves attention at least.”
When asked about expectations for a second Trump administration, Putin responded, “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,” Putin added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted earlier on Thursday that contact between Putin and Trump before the inauguration hasn’t been ruled out, given Trump’s comment that he intended to call Putin prior to taking office.
Peskov emphasized that Moscow views the US as an “unfriendly” nation, directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict, and dismissed concerns that Putin’s hesitation to reach out to Trump could impact future relations. He pointed out that Moscow-Washington ties are already at a “historic low,” and that it will be up to the new US administration to change that trajectory.