Putin hails 'courageous' Trump after election win
Vladimir Putin has congratulated Donald Trump on his election victory, calling
him a "courageous man".
Speaking at an event in the Russian city of Sochi, the Russian president said
that Trump was "hounded from all sides" during his first term in the White House.
Putin also said that Trump's claim that he can help end the war in Ukraine
"deserves attention at least".
During his campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly said he could end the war
“in a day” but has never elaborated on how that could happen.
During Putin's address, which lasted several hours and covered a wide range of topics,
he also spoke of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in July, saying it
"made an impression" on him.
After being shot, Trump punched his fist into the air and mouthed the words "fight,
fight, fight", before being hauled away by Secret Service agents.
"He behaved, in my opinion, in a very correct way, courageously, like a man,
" Putin said.
Asked if he was ready to have discussions with Donald Trump, Putin replied:
"We're ready, we're ready."
Trump had already said on Thursday that he was prepared to speak with Putin,
telling NBC News: "I think we'll speak".
The Kremlin was widely accused of interfering in the 2016 presidential election to
boost Donald Trump's campaign against Hilary Clinton, claims rejected by Moscow.
US Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigated allegations of collusion between
Trump's campaign and Russia in 2016, but said in a report three years later that
had found no evidence of conspiracy.
Elsewhere on Thursday, leaders gathering for the European Political Community in
Budapest discussed Trump's return to the White House.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a "very warm" and "productive conversation" with the president-elect.
"But we have to do everything to ensure that the results of our interaction between
Ukraine and America, the whole of Europe and America, are productive and positive,
" he added.
Many in Ukraine and Europe are worried that Trump might slow, if not halt, the flow of American military aid to Kyiv upon taking power in January.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer assured Zelensky at the summit
that the UK's support for Ukraine in its war with Russia remains "iron-clad".
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban - who previously said he celebrated Trump's win
by "tapping into the vodka supply happily" - said the US and Europe now face tough
talks on trade.
Orban, who is a close ally of Trump, told a press conference that "the trade issue with
the US will come up and it will not be easy".
Before winning the election, Trump said he would impose tariffs of 10% on all imports.
“There was an agreement that Europe should assume greater responsibility for its
own peace and security in the future. To put it even more bluntly, we cannot expect
Americans to be the only ones to take care of us," Orban said.
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