Putin 'waiting for official results' to congratulate winner of US election
Russian President Vladimir Putin is waiting for the official results of the US presidential election to be announced before congratulating the winner, a Kremlin spokesperson said Monday, according to Euronews.
The source reminds that Joe Biden was widely declared to have been elected as US president over the weekend but his victory has been disputed by incumbent Donald Trump. Trump is launching legal challenges against the results in several key battleground states.
"We believe it is correct to wait for the official results of the elections that have taken place. I'd like to remind you that President Putin has repeatedly said that he will respect the choice of the American people whatever it may be," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The source reminds that Putin was one of the first leaders to congratulate Trump on his victory in 2016, with a message a little over an hour after US media projections said that he had won.