Russia’s president, Putin congratulates Trump on inauguration

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Donald Trump on his imminent inauguration as U.S. President.

He had heard Trump’s demands to restore direct contacts between Moscow and Washington and to do everything to prevent a third world war, Putin told Russian news agencies at a meeting of the National Security Council on Monday.

“We certainly welcome this approach and congratulate the president-elect of the United States on taking office,” Putin said.

He said he is also prepared to resume dialogue with the new U.S. administration on the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia, he said, is interested in long-term peace, not in a ceasefire to regroup and later resume hostilities.

Russia has been waging a brutal war against Ukraine for almost three years. It has repeatedly accused the leadership in Kiev of oppressing the Russian-speaking population in the country.

In addition, Moscow sees its security threatened by Kiev’s efforts to join NATO.

The Kremlin is therefore demanding not only the ceding of territory from its neighbour but also a renunciation of a powerful army and its accession to NATO and other permanent military alliances with the West.

Moscow is also claiming the role of protecting the Russian-speaking population and thus a say in Ukrainian domestic politics in the future.