SOCHI, Russia – President Vladimir Putin on Thursday congratulated Donald Trump on winning the U.S. election, praised him for showing courage when a gunman tried to assassinate him, and said Moscow was ready for dialogue with the Republican president-elect.
In his first public remarks since Trump’s win, Putin said Trump had acted like a real man during an assassination attempt while speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 14.
“He behaved, in my opinion, in a very correct way, courageously, like a real man,” Putin said at the Valdai discussion club in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. “I take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election.”
Putin added that Trump had been “hounded by all sides” in the tumultuous presidential election campaign but said Trump’s remarks about Ukraine and restoring relations with Russia deserved attention.
“What was said about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to bring about the end of the Ukrainian crisis in my opinion this deserves attention at least,” said Putin.
Trump said during campaigning that he could bring peace in Ukraine within 24 hours if he was elected, but has given few details on how he would seek to end the biggest land war in Europe since World War Two.
The 72-year-old Kremlin chief gave just one note of caution: “I do not know what is going to happen now. I have no clue.”
When pressed by a questioner what he would do if Trump called to suggest a meeting, Putin said he was ready to resume contacts if a Trump administration wanted to and was ready for discussion with Trump.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Russia’s leadership remembered Trump’s words about trying to resolve the Ukraine crisis even if he exaggerated the speed at which he could do it.
Asked about Kamala Harris’s warning that Putin would eat Trump for lunch, Peskov said with a chuckle: “Putin does not eat people.”
