Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Donald Trump on his election victory, saying he is ready to engage with the United States.
The Kremlin leader made the remarks during a policy forum in Sochi, Russia, on Thursday. Answering questions at the end of a lengthy speech, Putin said he wanted to "take this opportunity to congratulate [Trump] on his election as president of the United States."
When asked by a forum moderator if he was ready for discussions with Trump, Putin responded: "We are ready."
He claimed that "Russia didn't ruin relations with the U.S. and is open to reviving them, but the ball is in the Americans' court."
Putin said he did not know what might come of Trump’s promise to negotiate a quick end to the war in Ukraine, suggesting the president-elect's proposals are worth studying.
Trump has criticized the scale of U.S. aid to Ukraine — which has surpassed $100 billion since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — feeding fears in Kyiv and the European Union that Trump intends to impose peace largely on Moscow’s terms.
Putin cautioned that political forces in Washington had blocked Trump from his pledges to improve relations with Moscow during his previous term.
The Russian leader also praised Trump for the way he survived a shooting at a rally this summer. “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 said.
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