 "Russia's President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan June 28, 2019. Reuters file")
After days of speculation about whether he would wish the new president-elect of US, Russian President Vladimir Putin finally came around and congratulated Donald Trump on his win in the US elections.
The Russian president, however, did not just stop at a simple congratulatory message. To everyone’s surprise, Putin called Trump “manly” for surviving his recent assassination attempt and even said that he was “ready” to talk to him.
Unlike many other world leaders who have had telephone conversations with Trump in the wake of his victory, Putin is yet to hold that phone call.
“I take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America,” the Russian president said on Thursday.
‘I’ll talk but…’
While Putin has furthered the prospect of having a conversation with Trump, he has set a condition for it.
The Russian leader said that he would only talk if Trump rang him. When asked the reason why he did not want to take the initiative to call, Putin said, “The leaders of Western countries were calling me almost every week at some point, and then suddenly they stopped. If any of them wants to resume contact, I have always said and I want to say again: we have nothing against it.”
Are Putin and Trump at odds?
The late congratulatory message might point towards a hint of discord but Putin and Trump are known to have shared a cordial relationship.
Throughout his campaign too, Trump thought highly of the Russian President and in turn, Putin has also taken the Republican’s word to end the conflict in Ukraine. In fact, since leaving office in 2020, Trump has spoken to Putin at least seven times.
However, there also have been points of contention between the two leaders. Earlier this year, Putin complained that when Trump was in office, there were “so many restrictions and sanctions against Russia like no other president has ever introduced before him.”
Also, relations between Russia and the US have been at an all-time low since the end of the Cold War, with Moscow angered by Western support to Ukraine.
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More ShortsWith inputs from agencies