Sochi, Russia – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday extended congratulations to Donald Trump on his victory in the recent U.S. presidential election, applauding Trump for displaying courage during an attempted assassination in July. Putin, speaking at the Valdai discussion club in Sochi, praised Trump’s resilience when faced with an armed assailant at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, noting that the Republican leader had shown “courage and conduct befitting a real man.”
Putin remarked, “He behaved, in my opinion, in a very correct way, courageously, like a real man,” while addressing the audience. He took the opportunity to express his congratulations to Trump on the election outcome.
During his first public comments following Trump’s win, Putin highlighted Trump’s campaign promises regarding Ukraine and Russia. “What was said about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to bring about the end of the Ukrainian crisis… deserves attention at least,” he noted, referencing Trump’s ambitious claim that he could bring peace to Ukraine within 24 hours, though details on how he would accomplish this were sparse.
However, the Kremlin leader also offered a note of caution: “I do not know what is going to happen now. I have no clue.”
When asked if he would meet with Trump if the U.S. president-elect suggested it, Putin affirmed his openness to re-establish contact with the incoming administration. Russian officials have consistently denied speculation that Trump serves as a Russian agent, with both Russia and Trump’s team dismissing the idea as “nonsense.”
Putin’s remarks come amid the backdrop of prior allegations that Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russia, which U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigated. The 2019 report found no evidence of conspiracy, yet tensions over these claims have lingered throughout Trump’s political career.
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