Putin Congratulates Trump On His Election Victory

2 weeks ago Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Donald Trump on his election victory in his first public comment on the outcome of the U.S. balloting. Following a speech during an international forum in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Putin said that what Trump has said “about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to help end the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, deserves attention at least.” The Kremlin earlier welcomed Trump’s claim that he could negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine “in 24 hours” but emphasized that it will wait for concrete policy steps. As to what he expects from a second Trump administration, Putin said, “I don’t know what will happen now.”