Russian leader opens the door to resuming diplomatic relations with the US after not speaking to Joe Biden for two years
: MAXIM SHIPENKOV/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Vladimir Putin has praised Donald Trump as a “courageous man” as he congratulated the Republican candidate on winning the presidential election.
The Russian leader, who is reported to have privately congratulated Mr Trump on Tuesday, opened the door to resuming diplomatic relations with the US president after not speaking to Joe Biden for two years.
The Kremlin had initially declined to publicly comment on Mr Trump’s win, describing it as an “internal matter” despite claims by the intelligence services that it was trying to interfere in the election.
“His behaviour at the time of the attempt on his life made an impression on me,” Putin said of the shooting at the Republican’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in July.
Mr Trump was grazed by a bullet fired by Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old gunman, while he addressed a crowd of supporters.
He was bundled to the ground by Secret Service officers and quickly ushered offstage, but not before pumping his fist and shouting “fight” as blood ran down his face.
: Brendan McDermid/Reuters
“He turned out to be a courageous man. And it’s not just about the raised hand and the call to fight for his and their common ideals,” Putin said.
“He behaved, in my opinion, in a very correct way, courageously, like a man.”
Putin, who has not spoken to Mr Biden since 2022 amid a freeze in relations following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said he was “ready” to speak to Mr Trump.
“What was said by Trump about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to help end the Ukrainian crisis – in my opinion, this deserves attention at least,” Putin said.
“And I take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America.
“I have already said that we will work with any head of state who is trusted by the American people. This will indeed be the case in practice.”
Mr Trump has previously said he will end the Russia-Ukraine war on his first day in office, but has provided few details on how he will achieve this.
One plan that he is thought to be considering involves using British and European troops to enforce an 800-mile buffer zone between the Russian and Ukrainian armies.
Ukraine is heavily reliant on billions of dollars in aid from Washington to continue its war effort.
Mr Trump has criticised the US’ military support for Kyiv and has labelled Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian leader, as “the greatest salesman on earth”.
Mr Zelensky congratulated Mr Trump on his election victory on Tuesday and said he looked forward to discussing “ways to strengthen Ukraine’s strategic partnership with the United States”.
“We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under president Trump’s decisive leadership,” he said.
Join the conversation
More stories
More from Politics
More from The Telegraph
