Putin publicly congratulates Trump on taking office: “We see claims about restoring direct contacts with Russia”

Vladimir Putin has congratulated the newly-elected U.S. President Donald Trump on his inauguration and reiterated his openness to dialogue on resolving the war in Ukraine. The Russian leader’s statement was published on the Kremlin’s official Telegram channel earlier today.

In his message to Trump, Putin expressed support for the incoming U.S. administration’s “attitude”:

“We see claims from the newly elected U.S. president and his team about a desire to restore direct contacts with Russia, which were severed not through our fault, but by the outgoing administration. We also hear his remarks about the need to do everything possible to prevent a Third World War. Of course, we welcome this attitude and congratulate the elected President of the United States on assuming office.”

Putin added that he hopes the dialogue between the Kremlin and the White House would now be built “on an equal and mutually respectful basis” and paid lip service to his willingness to work toward resolving the conflict in Ukraine. According to Putin, the goal of any agreement should be “long-term peace,” not just a “short-term truce.”

Putin delivered this statement just hours before Trump’s inauguration, during an atypical Monday meeting with the permanent members of Russia’s Security Council — a gathering usually held on Fridays.

Independent journalist Farida Rustamova suggested that the Kremlin may have intentionally shifted the meeting to Monday, enabling Putin to “offer his congratulations to Trump informally rather than in a special format.”

Putin had previously indicated his willingness to engage in talks with Trump. At the Valdai Discussion Club plenary session in November 2024, he said that Trump’s comments about “seeking to restore relations” with Moscow “deserve attention at the very least.” However, two years earlier — in October 2022 — Putin had claimed that he saw “no point” in holding negotiations with the Biden administration.