Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in the U.S. election, praising his bravery during the intense campaign. Putin specifically mentioned an incident in July, when someone tried to attack Trump while he was speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania. Putin said Trump handled the situation “correctly” and “courageously,” calling him a “real man” for how he reacted.
Talking about Russia’s relationship with the U.S., Putin said that Moscow is willing to work with whoever the American people elect. “I have no problem calling him directly,” Putin explained, but added that Western leaders had once called him regularly, but then suddenly stopped doing so.
Putin also mentioned Trump’s views on improving relations between the U.S. and Russia and his stance on the Ukraine conflict. He said that Trump’s promise to work on ending the war in Ukraine and rebuild ties with Russia was something worth paying attention to.
Trump, in an interview with NBC News, said he’s open to talking with Putin and would be ready for discussions. Trump had promised during his campaign that if elected, he could bring peace to Ukraine in just 24 hours, though he didn’t explain how. Putin, however, said he wasn’t sure what would happen next, adding, “I have no clue.”
While Trump has made bold claims about resolving the war quickly, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov admitted that it was unlikely to happen overnight, but he still welcomed any attempt at peace. “There’s no way to solve this issue overnight,” Peskov said. “But if the new U.S. administration wants peace instead of continuing the war, that would be an improvement.”
