Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans to call US Republican President-elect Donald Trump to congratulate him on his election victory, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, the 6th of November, citing Russian media, report Politico and Reuters.
Putin was one of the first world leaders to send his congratulations to Trump after his victory in the 2016 US presidential election.
“I am not aware of any plans by the president to congratulate Trump,” Peskov said at a morning press briefing. “Let us not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country that is directly and indirectly engaged in a war against our country.”
Asked whether Putin’s decision not to congratulate Trump could worsen US-Russia relations, Peskov replied that
“it is almost impossible” as relations between the two countries were already at a “historic low”.
“What happens next depends on the US leadership. President Putin has said more than once that he is open to constructive dialogue based on honesty, equality and a willingness to take into account mutual concerns,” Peskov said, “… We will see what happens in January.”
On Trump’s pledge to end the war in Ukraine, Peskov said Russia was waiting to see what Trump would do once in office before starting talks, adding that “statements can sometimes take on a different tone”.
“We have repeatedly said that the US is capable of contributing to ending this conflict. It cannot be done overnight, but… the US is capable of changing the trajectory of its foreign policy. Whether this will happen, and if so how … we will see in January,” he said.
The Russian foreign ministry said Moscow has no illusions about Trump, pointing to the so-called bipartisan anti-Russia stance of the US ruling elite aimed at trying to contain Russia.
“Russia will cooperate with the new administration as it “settles in” to the White House, fiercely defending Russia’s national interests and focusing on achieving all the stated objectives of the special military operation (in Ukraine),” the ministry said. “Our conditions are unchanged and well known to Washington.”
But Kirill Dmitriev, the influential head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund who has had previous contacts with Trump’s team, was softer, saying Trump’s victory could be an opportunity to repair relations between Russia and the US.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday that a Trump victory would probably be bad news for Ukraine, which relies on Washington as its main military backer.
“Trump has one characteristic that is useful for us – as a businessman to the core, he is deathly averse to spending money on various henchmen,” said Medvedev, who is now a senior security official.