The Kremlin says Putin has no plans to congratulate Trump, but he has said he will

The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin had no immediate plans to congratulate Donald Trump, who emerged as president-elect of the United States on Wednesday – but senior Russian officials pointed out that the Republican's victory was a change for a “reset.” of the relationships.

“I am not aware of the president's plans to congratulate Trump on his election,” Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday, according to Google-translated comments carried by state news agency Interfax.

“Let us not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country that is directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state,” he added.

Peskov was then reportedly asked whether he thought Trump might be offended if Putin did not congratulate him on his victory and whether this would worsen already poor relations between Russia and the US

“It is virtually impossible to worsen the situation any further; relations are at their historic low. And what happens next will depend on the next US leadership.” President Putin has repeatedly stated that he is open to constructive dialogue based on justice, equality and willingness to “take into account each other's concerns. And President Putin maintains this attitude,” Peskov said.

“Right now the US government is diametrically opposed to it. We will see what happens in January,” he added.

The Kremlin's response came after Trump declared victory in the presidential election early Wednesday, as he was on track to secure the full 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. Since then, NBC News projected him as the president-elect, putting him on track to become the 47th^Th President of the United States.

Trump's victory is seen as a positive by Moscow as it is likely to have a negative impact on Ukraine, given Republican hostility to ongoing military aid packages for Kiev and a foreign policy stance under Trump that puts American interests first. Trump will also likely try to pressure Ukraine into peace talks with Russia.

This morning, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Donald Trump as the American politician appeared to be close to winning the election, acknowledging the Republican victory, which is seen as a bad result for Kiev in terms of military aid and possibly in the future , a brave face , his territorial integrity.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump appeared to maintain friendly relations during his 2017-2021 U.S. presidency. The relationship was mired in controversy after allegations emerged of collusion between Trump's then-presidential campaign team and Russia, which was accused of interfering in the 2016 election.

Both leaders denied any conspiracy to influence the vote, and a subsequent investigation found no evidence that Trump had criminally colluded with Russia. The investigation also did not reach a conclusion about whether Trump obstructed justice.

Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Russia sought to downplay its interest in the vote and particularly in a victory for Trump – who analysts said would most likely be Moscow's preferred candidate.

Back in February, Putin said he preferred current White House chairman Joe Biden – who was then set to run for a second term on behalf of the Democrats – as the next US president, describing him as a more experienced and predictable politician.

In June, Putin told reporters that Biden was “an old-school politician” while downplaying his support for Trump's campaign, stating: “We never had special relations with Mr. Trump, but the fact remains that as president he started massively When he imposed sanctions on Russia, he withdrew from the Intermediate and Short-Range Missile Treaty.

While Putin will most likely ultimately comment on Trump's victory and congratulate him when his win is confirmed, other Russian officials have been open about the vote being an opportunity for a possible realignment of relations between Washington and Moscow.

Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and well-known Russia hawk, commented that Trump would likely seek to give Ukraine less military funding – aid seen as vital for Kiev to continue resisting the Russian invasion.

“Trump has a quality that is useful to us: as a businessman through and through, he absolutely does not like spending money on various followers and free riders,” Medvedev wrote in a Google-translated update on Telegram. “The question is how much they will force Trump to pay for the war.”

“He is stubborn, but the system is stronger,” said Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Russia's sovereign wealth fund, commented: “Trump and his team have demonstrated unique strength and resilience by winning the presidency and gaining control of the US Congress and Senate,” despite “In spite of what he described as a large-scale disinformation campaign against them.”

He provided no evidence to support his claim.

“Their convincing victory shows that ordinary Americans are fed up with the Biden administration’s unprecedented lies, incompetence and malice. This opens new opportunities for realigning relations between Russia and the United States,” Dmitriev said.

Alexander Tolmachev, a lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party that supports President Putin, told RIA Novosti news agency that he hoped that relations between Russia and the United States could thaw under Trump.

“When talking about Trump's victory, it is important to remember that every American president first and foremost serves his country. Of course, no one in the White House will seriously consider the interests of people in Russia or other countries. We can do that. “I hope that our relations with the United States will warm up a little – but just a little,” he said.