US President Donald Trump has congratulated his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on being sworn in for a fourth term, saying he looks forward to a time when the two nations can have a good relationship.
Putin, 65, who is in power since 1999, was re-elected as Russia’s President in the March election with 76.7 per cent of the vote. “The President congratulates him and looks forward to a time when we can hopefully have a good relationship with Russia,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters at her daily news conference.
“However, the United States believes that everyone has a right to be heard and assemble peacefully,” she said, referring to the arrest of protesters in Russia.
Nearly 1,600 protesters, including Putin’s most vocal opponent, Alexei Navalny, were detained on Saturday during nationwide rallies against the Russian leader. She reiterated that Democrats were using the Russia investigation as an excuse for losing the 2016 election.