The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin has no immediate plans to congratulate Donald Trump, who emerged as president-elect in the U.S. on Wednesday — but senior Russian officials pointed to the win for the Republican as a change for a “reset” in relations.
“I am not aware of the president’s plans to congratulate Trump on his election,” Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wednesday, according to Google-translated comments from state news agency Tass.
“Let’s not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country that is directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state,” he added.
The Kremlin’s reaction came after Trump declared victory in the presidential election early Wednesday, as he headed toward securing the full 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. Since then, NBC News projected him as president-elect, putting him on the path to become the 47th president of the United States.
Trump’s win is seen as a positive by Moscow because of its likely negative impact on Ukraine, given Republican hostility to ongoing military aid packages for Kyiv, and a foreign policy stance under Trump that puts American interests first. Trump is also likely look to push Ukraine into peace talks with Russia.
Earlier this morning, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Donald Trump as the American politician appeared to be on the brink of winning the vote, putting a brave face on a Republican victory that’s seen as a bad outcome for Kyiv in terms of military aid and, potentially, its territorial integrity.
Read more
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump appeared to enjoy cordial relations during the latter’s U.S. 2017-2021 presidency. The relationship was mired in controversy after allegations of collusion between Trump’s then presidential campaign team and Russia, which was accused of meddling in the 2016 election.
Both leaders denied any conspiracy to influence the vote, and a subsequent inquiry found no proof that Trump criminally colluded with Russia. The probe also reached no conclusion about whether Trump obstructed justice.
In the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, Russia looked to downplay its interest in the vote, and particularly in a win for Trump — who analysts said was highly likely to be Moscow’s candidate of choice.
Back in February, Putin said he preferred current White House leader Joe Biden — who was then slated to compete for a second term on behalf of Democrats— to be the next U.S. president, describing him as a more experienced and more predictable” politician.
In June, Putin told journalists that Biden was “an old-school politician” while playing down his support for Trump’s campaign, stating, “we have never had any special ties with Mr Trump, but the fact remains that as president he started imposing massive sanctions on Russia, he withdrew from the treaty on intermediate and shorter-range missiles.”
Warming up to Trump
While Putin is highly likely to ultimately comment on Trump’s election win — and to congratulate him when his victory is confirmed — other Russian officials have been forthcoming about the vote being an opportunity for a possible reset of relations between Washington and Moscow.
Dmitry Medvedev, formerly Russian President and a known Russian hawk, commented that Trump would likely look to give Ukraine less military funding — aid that is seen as vital for Kyiv to continue to fight back against Russia’s invasion.
“Trump has one quality that is useful to us: as a businessman to the core, he mortally dislikes spending money on various hangers-on and freeloaders,” Medvedev wrote in a Google-translated update on Telegram. “The question is how much they will force Trump to give for the war.”
“He is stubborn, but the system is stronger,” noted Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council.
Kirill Dmitriev, chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, commented that “Trump and his team demonstrated unique strength and resilience, winning the presidency and gaining control of the U.S. Congress and Senate” despite what he called a “despite a large-scale disinformation campaign directed against them.”
He presented no evidence to back up his claim.
“Their convincing victory shows that ordinary Americans are tired of the unprecedented lies, incompetence, and malice of the Biden administration. This opens up new opportunities for resetting relations between Russia and the United States,” Dmitriev said.
Alexander Tolmachev, a lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party that backs President Putin, told news agency RIA Novosti that he hoped Russia-U.S. relations could thaw under Trump.
“When talking about Trump’s victory, it is important not to forget that any American president serves his country first and foremost. No one in the White House, of course, will seriously consider the interests of the people of Russia or other countries. We can hope that our relations with the United States will become a little warmer — but just a little,” he said.