Putin not planning to congratulate Trump, Kremlin says

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not planning to call United States Republican President-elect Donald Trump to congratulate him on his election victory, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

“I am not aware of the president’s plans to congratulate Trump on the election,” Peskov said during a morning press briefing.

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

Putin was one of the first world leaders to send a congratulatory message to Trump on his U.S. presidential election win in 2016.

Asked whether Putin’s decision to not congratulate Trump might worsen relations between the U.S. and Russia, Peskov said “it is almost impossible,” as the relations between the two countries are “at a historical low point,” Interfax reported.

” What happens next depends on the American leadership. President Putin has said on more than one occasion than he’s open to constructive dialogue, based on fairness, equality and a willingness to take into account mutual concerns,” Peskov said, adding: “Right now, the U.S. admin has a diametrically opposed position. We’ll see what happens in January.”

Speaking about Trump’s promise to end the war in Ukraine, Peskov said Russia is waiting to see what Trump will do once in office before beginning the negotiations.

“Once [in the Oval Office], statements can sometimes take on a different tone. That’s why we say we are carefully analyzing everything, monitoring everything, and we will draw conclusions from specific words and concrete actions,” he said.

Eva Hartog contributed to this report.