File photo of US President Donald Trump with Russian President Vladimir Putin | Photo credit: AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Donald Trump on Thursday November 7, 2024 for his electoral victory in his first public comment on the American vote, and he praised the courage of the president-elect during the July assassination attempt.

“His behavior at the time of an attack had an impact on me. He turned out to be a courageous man,” Mr. Putin told an international forum after a speech in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

“He showed himself in the most correct way, with courage as a man,” he added.

Mr. Putin also said that what Mr. Trump said “about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to help end the Ukrainian crisis, deserves, in my opinion, at least some attention. interested in it.”

The Kremlin had previously welcomed Mr Trump’s assertion that he could negotiate an end to the conflict. the conflict in Ukraine “in 24 hours”, but stressed that he would wait for concrete political measures.

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America,” Putin said during a question-and-answer session at the conference.

As for what he expects from a second Mr. Trump administration, Mr. Putin said: “I don’t know what will happen now. I don’t know.”

“For him, this is still his last presidential term. What he does is his business,” added Mr. Putin, who began a fifth term this year which will keep him in power until 2030 and could run for six more years later. that.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that the Kremlin was not ruling out the possibility of contact between Mr. Putin and Trump before the inauguration, given that Mr. Trump “said he would call Putin before the inauguration.

Peskov stressed that Moscow considers the United States a “hostile” country directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict. He rejected arguments that Mr Putin’s failure to quickly contact Mr Trump could harm future relations, saying Moscow’s relations with Washington are already at the “lowest point in history” and arguing that It will be up to the new American leaders to change the situation.

The Kremlin’s cautious stance reflects its view of the American vote as a choice between two unattractive possibilities. Although Mr. Trump is known for his admiration for Mr. Putin, the Russian leader has repeatedly emphasized that during Mr. Trump’s first term, there were “as many restrictions and sanctions against Russia as any other president has never introduced before him.