More than 24 hours after Donald Trump’s victory, Russian President Vladimir Putin has finally expressed his congratulations. Although he has not yet had direct contact with the president-elect, Putin has said he is ready for a conversation, saying it would not be “shameful” to take the initiative to call.
During his participation in the Valdai Club conference, Putin commented on Trump’s re-election and the initiative proposed by the latter to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Trump had in fact declared that he could stop the war “in 24 hours”. Putin called the proposal “worthy of attention,” although the details remain unclear. The Wall Street Journal reported that it would freeze the conflict with Kiev outside of NATO, maintaining Ukraine’s territorial integrity and creating autonomous regions around a demilitarized zone. Responsibilities for implementing the agreement and rebuilding it would be left to Europe. In a moment of recognition, Putin also praised Trump for the courage he showed during an attack he suffered during the election campaign.
Trump was quick to respond to the congratulations, revealing in an interview with NBC that he had not yet spoken to Putin, but hoped that this would happen soon. Following his remarks about Trump, Putin spoke about tensions between Russia and NATO, claiming that NATO would “force” Russia into the conflict. He warned that the world is undergoing profound changes and predicted that the next two decades will bring even greater challenges. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated the possibility of contacts between the two leaders before Trump’s official inauguration in January. However, so far there have been no direct contacts between Russian officials and the president-elect’s staff.
Russia appears open to exploring ideas to end the conflict in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. However, proposals received so far from the European Union have been deemed impractical. With the military situation continuing to deteriorate on the ground in Ukraine, Moscow seems ready to play its diplomatic card as the world anxiously awaits how this new era in international relations will unfold. The West’s choice could prove crucial: to further finance Kiev or to recognize the new geopolitical realities and engage in constructive negotiations.
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