Putin Congratulated Trump and Called Him 'Fearless Like a Man'

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his first public comment regarding the U.S. presidential election, congratulated Donald Trump on his victory and praised his courage during the assassination attempt against him in July. According to the Associated Press, Putin stated at a conference in the port city of Sochi: "His behavior at the moment of the assassination attempt was impressive to me. It became clear that he is a brave man." He added that Trump "showed himself correctly, and fearless, like a man." Putin also mentioned that Trump's statements about "the desire to rebuild relations with Russia and help end the Ukraine crisis" are, in his view, "at least worthy of attention." During a Q&A session at the conference, he said: "I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his victory in the U.S. presidential election." In response to a question about Trump's second presidential term, he said: "I don't know what will happen. I have no idea." He added: "This is his last presidential term. What he will do is up to him." Vladimir Putin has begun his fifth presidential term this year and will remain in power until 2030, and may even run for another six years afterward. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that the Kremlin does not rule out a contact between Putin and Trump before the inauguration, as Trump had stated he would "contact Putin before the inauguration." The Kremlin had previously welcomed Trump's claim that he could end the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours, but emphasized that it would wait for specific political steps. The English section of Voice of America reported last month that a new U.S. intelligence assessment showed that, just like in 2016 and 2020, Russian influence efforts are focused on supporting Trump's candidacy in the elections. A U.S. intelligence official stated: "Russia's main interest in this election is opposing candidates who want to help Kyiv." He added: "We expect Russia's focus to remain on this (Ukraine issue)." Intelligence officials stated that, unlike Russia, the Islamic Republic of Iran does not want Trump to be the next U.S. president. Russia's invasion of Ukraine faced support from Western countries for Kyiv, led by the United States. Months after denying the intention to attack Ukraine, Russia ultimately invaded its neighboring country. Global reactions to Trump's declared victory in the U.S. presidential election included 'invalid' bombing threats on election day originating from Russia, extensive Russian operations to spread fake news and distort public opinion in Europe, and new evidence of efforts by the Islamic Republic, China, and Russia to influence the U.S. elections.