President Vladimir Putin offered newly accredited U.S. Ambassador in Russia Jon Huntsman condolences on Tuesday over the deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas.
Up to 59 people were killed on Sunday night when a gunman opened fire at an outdoor concert from a 32nd floor hotel room. The suspected shooter was later found dead in the room with a cache of weapons.
“I would like to express my utmost and sincere condolences to the people and the administration of your country on the horrendous tragedy,” Putin told Huntsman at a ceremony in the Kremlin receiving foreign ambassadors’ credentials.
Putin also described the mass shooting as “shocking in its cruelty” in a message to U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday.
The Russian Embassy in Washington flew its flag at half-staff on Monday in respect for the mass shooting victims.
State-run RIA Novosti news agency reported that Muscovites laid flowers outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
Nevertheless, Putin referred to the “below-satisfactory” Russian-U.S. relations during Tuesday’s ceremony.
He reiterated the Kremlin’s aspiration to restore ties based on “equality, respect for national interests and non-interference with each other’s internal affairs.”