Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a congratulatory telegram to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden after the Electoral College confirmed his win, the Kremlin announced Tuesday.
Putin is one of the last world leaders to congratulate the president-elect, with his message coming six weeks after the Nov. 3 vote in which Biden defeated incumbent President Donald Trump. The Kremlin maintained that it would wait until the election results were officially confirmed to congratulate Biden.
Putin wished Biden success and expressed confidence that “Russia and the U.S., which bear special responsibility for global security and stability, can, despite their differences, really contribute to solving many problems and challenges that the world is currently facing.”
He added that “Russian-American cooperation based on the principles of equality and mutual respect would meet the interests of the peoples of both countries and the entire international community.”
“For my part, I am ready for interaction and contacts with you,” Putin said.
The announcement comes shortly after U.S. media reports of hackers linked to Russian intelligence services breaching several U.S. agencies. Russia has denied the allegations published in Reuters and The Washington Post.
Ties between the U.S. and Russia have hit post-Cold War lows in recent years, exacerbated by Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, the conflict in eastern Ukraine and allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
