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Peskov is unaware of Putin's plans to congratulate Trump
The Kremlin has characterized the US election results as an internal matter and rejected allegations of interference. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov is unaware of President Vladimir Putin's plans to congratulate his presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. But the Russian leader is open to dialogue. The possibility of a telephone conversation with the Republican Party depends on the American side.
"I am not aware of the president's plans to congratulate Trump. Asked at a press conference whether President Donald Trump would be offended if Vladimir Putin did not congratulate him, a Kremlin spokesman responded: "We are talking about an unfriendly country that is directly or indirectly involved in a war against our country. Let's not forget," he said. Will he win and will it worsen relations between the countries? Dmitry Peskov responded that "it is almost impossible to worsen the situation" because we are at a "historically lowest point" in history.
"What happens next will depend on the next American leadership. President Putin has repeatedly stated that he is open to constructive dialogue based on fairness, equality and a willingness to take each other's interests into account. And President Putin adheres to this position. He has tested this several times. The current US administration is doing the exact opposite. Let's see what happens in January," the press secretary said (quoted by Kommersant).
Answering the question of how the situation would have changed if Donald Trump had made "friendly" statements as US President, Dmitry Peskov replied: "As our diplomats say, a final conclusion is inappropriate here."
The press secretary explained that the optimistic reaction of Russian politicians to Trump's victory is explained by his peaceful aspirations in the international arena. The Kremlin is monitoring and analyzing statements made during the election campaign, but conclusions will be made after the first concrete steps.