PUTIN ON TRUMP VICTORY: RUSSIA IS READY TO RESTORE RELATIONS WITH U.S

  

Donald Trump (left) & Vladimir Putin (right)

[PHOTO SOURCE: http://people.com/celebrity/vladimir-putin-endorses-donald-trump-for-president-calls-him-absolute-leader/]

Putin on Trump victory: Russia is ready to restore relations with US

Published time: 9 Nov, 2016 08:39Edited time: 9 Nov, 2016 12:17

Russia is ready and looks forward to restoring bilateral relations with the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, commenting on the news of Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election.

“We heard [Trump's] campaign rhetoric while still a candidate for the US presidency, which was focused on restoring the relations between Russia and the United States,” President Putin said, speaking at the presentation ceremony of foreign ambassadors' letters of credentials in Moscow.

READ MORE: ‘Bind wounds of division’: Trump gives victory speech, says Clinton called to concede

Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin has also expressed hope that Trump’s victory in the presidential election will help pave the way for a more constructive dialogue between Moscow and Washington.

“The current US-Russian relations cannot be called friendly. Hopefully, with the new US president a more constructive dialogue will be possible between our countries,” he said.

“The Russian Parliament will welcome and support any steps in this direction,” Volodin added on Wednesday.

Commenting on Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia will judge the new US administration by its actions and take appropriate steps in response.

“We are ready to work with any US leader elected by the US people,” the minister said on Wednesday.

“I can’t say that all the previous US leaders were always predictable. This is life, this is politics. I have heard many words but we will judge by actions.”

According to many observers, US-Russia relations are now at their lowest point since the Cold War. Putin has repeatedly noted that the worsening of Russia’s relations with the US “was not our choice,” however.

READ MORE: Western criticism of Moscow policies ruffles few feathers among ordinary Russians, poll shows

For things to improve between Moscow and Washington, the US should first and foremost start acting like an equal partner and respect Russia’s interests rather than try to dictate terms, Putin said last month.

The US will have to negotiate with Russia on finding solutions to international issues as no state is now able to act alone, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last week, adding that problems in bilateral relations began to mount long before the Ukrainian crisis broke out in 2014.

INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.rt.com/news/365966-putin-trump-congratulates-victory/