Everything Putin Has Said About Trump vs. Biden Election

As the electoral college affirmed Joe Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin finally broke his silence about the election, congratulating the president-elect on his victory.

On Tuesday, a message from the Kremlin was issued that said, “Vladimir Putin wished the President-elect every success and expressed confidence that Russia and the United States, which bear special responsibility for global security and stability, despite their differences can truly contribute to solving many problems and challenges that the world is currently facing.”

Putin continued by saying, “Russian-American cooperation based on the principles of equality and mutual respect would meet the interests of people in both countries as well as the entire international community.”

He also maintained his hope for cooperation with Biden, who has said that Russia is a “main threat” to U.S. national security. In an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Putin said, “For my part, I am ready for cooperation and contacts with you.”

Unlike many other world leaders, the Kremlin maintained that it was “correct” to wait to congratulate the president-elect on the victory until the official results were in, CNN reported.

Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Biden 22 days after the Nov. 3 election, saying at the time, "Promoting the healthy and stable development of China-U.S. relations is not only in the fundamental interests of both peoples, but also meets the common expectation of the international community," Xinhua News Agency reported.

Jinping continued by saying, "I hope to see both sides uphold the spirit of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation, and focus on cooperation while managing and controlling disputes."

In 2016, the Kremlin congratulated Trump within hours of the results of the race being called official.

In mid-November, Putin said on state-run television the reason he had not congratulated Biden on a presidential win right away. “We will work with anyone who has the confidence of the American people. But that confidence can only be given to a candidate whose victory has been recognized by the opposing party, or after the results are confirmed in a legitimate, legal way,” Bloomberg reported.

While results of the election were not official at the time, Putin was asked if not congratulating Biden on his win would damage the relations between the two countries. He responded by saying, “there’s nothing to damage, they’re already ruined,” the Hill reported.