As Donald Trump was elected the US president for a second term, Russia on Wednesday said President Vladimir Putin remained open to engaging in a "constructive dialogue" with the US, asserting that the future of Washington-Moscow relations depends on the American administration.
The remarks by Krelim spokesperson Dmitry Peskov came after 78-year-old Republican leader Trump defeated his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris in a bitterly fought election.
Peskov was responding to a question about whether relations between the US and Russia would deteriorate if Russian President Vladimir Putin did not congratulate Trump, the state-owned TASS news agency reported.
Peskov said that Putin was willing to engage in dialogue with the US but it will be clear whether Washington's stance on talks changes after Trump takes office.
"President Putin has repeatedly said that he is open to a constructive dialogue based on justice, equality, and mutual respect for each other’s concerns. And President Putin remains committed to this position and has reiterated it multiple times," the report quoted Peskov as saying.
He, however, added that the US administration today holds a "contrary position". "Let’s wait and see what happens in January," Peskov said.
Trump will be sworn in as president after his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
"It is practically impossible to make relations between the United States and Russia any worse as they are already at their lowest point in history," he said.
Peskov also refrained from answering a question about Putin’s reaction to the outcome of the US presidential election. "The president’s reaction? Well, I cannot say anything," he said.
"But, of course, we take into account reports coming from Washington," he added.
According to races called by the Associated Press up to 7 pm (IST), 277 electoral votes had gone to Trump and 224 to Harris. Trump, the oldest person in US history to be elected president, crossed the halfway 270 votes-mark in electoral college votes with victory in the battleground state of Wisconsin.
