TLTP
\nMOSCOW
\nThe Kremlin says it will wait for the official results of the US presidential election before commenting on its outcome, and that it had noted incumbent Donald Trump\u2019s announcement of legal challenges related to the vote.
\nPresident Vladimir Putin has remained silent on the issue since Democrat Joe Biden clinched the presidency on Saturday, four days after the November 3 election, clearing the threshold of 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House.
\nIn the vote\u2019s run-up, Putin had appeared to hedge his bets, frowning on Biden\u2019s anti-Russian rhetoric but welcoming his comments on nuclear arms control. Putin had also defended Biden\u2019s son, Hunter, against criticism from Trump.
\nSpeaking to reporters on a conference call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Moscow deemed it better to wait before congratulating anyone. \u201cWe think it appropriate to wait for the official vote count,\u201d he said.
\nAsked why in 2016 Putin had congratulated Trump soon after he had won the Electoral College and beaten Democrat Hillary Clinton, Peskov said there was an obvious difference this time around. \u201cYou can see that there are certain legal procedures that have been announced by the current president. That is why the situations are different and we, therefore, think it appropriate to wait for an official announcement,\u201d said Peskov.
\nHe noted that Putin had repeatedly said he was ready to work with any US leader and that Russia hoped it could establish a dialogue with a new US administration and find a way to normalise troubled bilateral relations.
\n\u201cPresident Putin has repeatedly said he will show respect for whatever choice the American people make,\u201d Peskov said. Moscow\u2019s ties with Washington sank to post-Cold War lows in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine.
\nBiden was serving as vice president under President Barack Obama at the time. Relations soured further over US allegations that Moscow had meddled in the 2016 US presidential election to try to tilt the vote in Trump\u2019s favour, something the Kremlin denied.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TLTP MOSCOW The Kremlin says it will wait for the official results of the US presidential election before commenting on its outcome, and that it had noted incumbent Donald Trump\u2019s announcement of legal challenges related to the vote. President Vladimir Putin has remained silent on the issue since Democrat Joe Biden clinched the presidency on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-155355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n