On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential elections, held on November 5.
“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America. I have already said that we will cooperate with any head of state whom the American people trust,” Putin said in Sochi.
He said he was “impressed” by Trump’s behavior during two assassination attempts this year and described the US president-elect as a “brave man”.
The Russian president claimed that Trump was “persecuted” during his first term in office, making him “afraid to take a step”.
He also said he was ready to talk with Trump.
The Kremlin said Thursday it did not rule out the possibility of talks between Putin and Trump before his inauguration in January.
Trump, a Republican, defeated Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race, securing a currently high 295 electoral college votes, well above the required 270.
The victory marks Trump’s return to the presidency for a second and final term, AA writes.