Putin congratulates Trump on election victory, calls him “a real man”

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated newly elected US President Donald Trump on his victory and praised him as “a real man,” hinting at a potential restoration of strained US-Russia relations.

In his first public remarks following Trump’s election as the 47th president, Putin commended Trump’s proposals for negotiations to end the Ukraine war and establish peace.

The Russian president also lauded Trump for his response to an attempted assassination 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 stated at the Valdai Discussion Club, an international forum in Sochi on the Black Sea.

The 72-year-old Russian leader further expressed that he is “ready” to begin negotiations with the US, adding that Trump’s proposal for talks on the Ukraine war “deserves attention at least.”

Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov suggested that Russia might consider peace negotiations with the Trump administration if it aims to resolve regional conflicts, unlike the previous administration.

Putin’s comments came after Trump expressed a desire to speak with the Russian president before taking office in January, as he had already contacted around 70 world leaders but not Putin.

During his campaign, Trump pledged to end the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours through negotiations, advocating for an isolationist policy to pull the US out of global conflicts.