Putin: Russia Ready to Collaborate with the New US Administration

On Thursday, December 2, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, expressed Moscow's willingness to cooperate and expand relations with the upcoming US administration during his annual address to members of the government and parliament. According to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass, Putin stated, "We are ready to cooperate with the new US government. What is very important is the normalization of relations and that we expand our bilateral relations based on common and equal interests." Previously, Putin had described Donald Trump's victory in the recent US presidential election as a "historic victory," while relations between Moscow and Washington have been marked by severe tensions in recent years, particularly regarding the Ukraine crisis, which led the United States to impose sanctions on Russia. Trump also praised Putin during his campaign and promised that if he won the election, Washington and Moscow would collaborate more. In his speech on Thursday, Putin emphasized the necessity of cooperation between Russia and the US in addressing global and regional issues, asserting that this would benefit the world. He added, "We have a shared responsibility for ensuring global security, establishing stability, and strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation treaty." Donald Trump will assume the US presidency on January 20, 2017. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Minister has accused Barack Obama's administration of "deliberately destroying US-Russia relations" and expressed hope that Trump's government would take a different path.