Putin holding off on US presidential congratulations
President Vladimir Putin says Russia is willing to
work with whomever is officially declared the next president of the United
States, but that he won’t offer congratulations until the winner is formally
decided or a candidate concedes.
Putin’s remarks broadcast Sunday on state television
reiterate earlier Kremlin comments on why Putin had not congratulated Joe Biden
after major news organizations called him president-elect, as did many other
world leaders.
“We are just waiting for the end of the internal
political confrontation,” Putin said, referring to Republican challenges to the
vote count.
”We will work with any person who will be given the
trust of the American people. But who will be given this trust? It must either
be indicated by political custom when one of the parties recognizes the victory
of the other, or the final results of the elections are summed up in a
legitimate, legal way,” he said.
