Has Russia's Putin not congratulated Donald Trump yet? Why?

Donald Trump has been elected to return to the White House as the 47th president of the United States. On Wednesday, several global leaders extended their congratulations after he claimed victory over his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris.

Leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, sent their well wishes to the President-elect. All but Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Notably, the Kremlin stated that it would judge Trump based on his actions, and Putin had no plans of congratulating him.

It was then assumed that Putin had not and would not offer congratulations. Until, Russian news outlet Verstka later reported that Putin had allegedly congratulated Trump through “mutual friends.”

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What did the Kremlin say?

Speaking to journalists, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “We will draw conclusions based on concrete steps and concrete words.”

Relations between Russia and the US have reached a historic low since the end of the Cold War, with Moscow angered by Western support for Ukraine.

If elected, Trump has pledged to end the conflict in Ukraine within 24 hours.

Peskov stated that the US is “capable of helping bring the end to this conflict” in Ukraine, but added that it is also “the country that is inflaming the conflict,” according to AFP.

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He said that while Trump had made some “quite harsh statements” during his campaign, he also talked about “his aspirations for peace on the international arena, about his aspirations to end politics based on continuing old wars.”

“But after victory, preparing to enter the Oval Office, sometimes statements take on a different tone.”

The Kremlin also stated that it would be “practically impossible” for the next government to make Russia-US relations worse since they are “at their lowest point in history”.

Peskov dismissed allegations that Russia had interfered in the US elections.

He mentioned that he was “not aware” of Putin’s plans to congratulate Trump, as the US is an “unfriendly country that is directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state,” referring to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

So, did Putin wish Trump?

The Kremlin has said that Putin has not congratulated Donald Trump, with no plans to do so. However, Russian news outlet Verstka has reported that “representatives of the Russian authorities and elite, including President Vladimir Putin,” congratulated the 47th US president “through acquaintances,” citing “a high-ranking interlocutor in parliament.”

This report contradicts the Kremlin’s official stance that Putin has not extended any congratulatory messages to Trump.

Firstpost could not independently verify the accuracy of these claims, and the Kremlin maintains that Putin has not communicated with Trump regarding congratulatory messages.

Other Russian officials are said to have congratulated Trump on his victory, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev. Further, Chairman of the Board of Sberbank, German Gref, and Speakers of the Houses of Parliament Valentina Matviyenko and Vyacheslav Volodin have also reportedly expressed their congratulations, Newsweek reported.

Medvedev reportedly wrote on social media: “Trump has one useful quality for us. He’s a businessman to the bone, he has a deathly hatred of spending money on hangers-on and freeloaders,” but also noted that the “system is stronger than him.”

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), told Politico that Trump’s re-election “opens up new opportunities for resetting relations between Russia and the United States.”

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Will US-Russia ties change after Trump’s win?

Peskov was responding to a question about whether US-Russia relations could worsen if Putin did not congratulate Trump on his victory. The state-owned TASS news agency reported that Peskov reiterated Putin’s long-standing openness to talks with the US. However, he stated that the direction of these talks would depend on any shifts in Washington’s stance once Trump assumes office.

“What happens next depends on the American leadership,” he said.

“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.”

He added, “Right now, the US admin has a diametrically opposed position. We’ll see what happens in January.”

Peskov clarified that Putin’s office will wait for Trump’s actions once he assumes office before initiating negotiations. He said, “Once [in the Oval Office], statements can sometimes take on a different tone. That’s why we say we are carefully analysing everything, monitoring everything, and we will draw conclusions from specific words and concrete actions.”

Trump has previously praised his relationship with Putin, describing it as positive. Last month, he said that he “got along great with Putin,” The Hill reported.

Recently, Trump revealed in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that he had warned Putin about potential consequences if Russia invaded Ukraine.

“I said, ‘Vladimir, ‘if you go after Ukraine, I am going to hit you so hard, you’re not even going to believe it. I’m going to hit you right in the middle of fricking Moscow.”

He added, “I said, ‘We’re friends. I don’t want to do it, but I have no choice.’ He goes, ‘No way.’ I said, ‘Way.’”

Notably, the Kremlin has indicated to Trump that building a good relationship will require more than fuzzy promises and bold statements. Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday’s broadcast of state television channel Rossiya-24 that Trump’s words “must be followed by actions, concrete actions.