Putin praises Trump, says Russia is prepared for dialogue

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday congratulated Donald Trump on profitable the U.S. election, praised him for exhibiting braveness when a gunman tried to assassinate him, and mentioned Moscow was prepared for dialogue with the Republican president-elect.

In his first public remarks since Trump’s win, Putin mentioned Trump had acted like an actual man throughout an assassination try on him whereas he was talking at a marketing campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July.

“He behaved, for my part, in a really appropriate means, courageously, like an actual man,” Putin mentioned on the Valdai dialogue membership within the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. “I take this chance to congratulate him on his election.”

Putin mentioned remarks Trump had made through the election marketing campaign about Ukraine and restoring relations with Russia deserved consideration.

“What was mentioned concerning the need to revive relations with Russia, to deliver concerning the finish of the Ukrainian disaster, for my part this deserves consideration at the very least,” mentioned Putin.

Trump mentioned throughout campaigning that he may deliver peace in Ukraine inside 24 hours if elected, however has given few particulars on how he would search to finish the most important land struggle in Europe since World Conflict Two.

The 72-year-old Kremlin chief gave only one word of warning: “I have no idea what will occur now. I’ve no clue.”

When pressed by a questioner what he would do if Trump known as to counsel a gathering, Putin mentioned he was able to resume contacts if a Trump administration needed that, and was prepared for discussions with Trump.

Russia and Trump have repeatedly dismissed as nonsense some claims in Western media that Trump was a type of Russian agent of affect. Russian officers say that in his first time period, from 2017 to 2021, Trump was powerful on Russia.

Particular Counsel Robert Mueller investigated allegations of collusion between Trump’s marketing campaign and Russia within the 2016 U.S. presidential election, however mentioned in a 2019 report that he discovered no proof of conspiracy.

Moscow has additionally repeatedly denied U.S. assertions that Russia meddled within the 2024 and different presidential elections and had unfold disinformation in an try to sow chaos.

WAR?

The two-1/2-year-old struggle in Ukraine is getting into what some Russian and Western officers say could possibly be its last — most harmful — part after Moscow’s forces advance at their quickest tempo for the reason that early weeks of the battle and the West ponders how the struggle will finish.

Putin on June 14 set out his phrases for an finish to the struggle: Ukraine must drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw all of its troops from all the territory of 4 areas claimed by Russia.

Russia controls Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014, about 80% of the Donbas — a coal-and-steel zone comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk areas — and greater than 70% of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson areas.

Talking for a number of hours on Thursday, Putin railed towards the “adventurism” of Western leaders whom he accused of pushing the world to a “harmful line” by in search of to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia in Ukraine.

“It’s ineffective to place strain on us. However we’re at all times prepared to barter with full consideration of mutual reputable pursuits,” Putin mentioned, simply seconds after scolding the West for promising Ukraine and Georgia eventual NATO membership in 2008.

He mentioned that the West had by no means accepted Russia as an equal associate for the reason that 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, treating it as a defeated energy and enlarging the U.S.-led NATO army alliance eastwards in direction of Russia.

Russia, Putin mentioned, was prepared to revive relations with america however the ball was in Washington’s courtroom. Putin additionally mentioned that China was Russia’s “ally”.

Requested about Kamala Harris’ warning that Putin would eat Trump for lunch, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned with a chuckle: “Putin doesn’t eat folks.”