Kyiv has been urging Trump to help end the war on just terms.Gavriil Grigorov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Putin congratulates Trump – POLITICO

20 Jan 2025, 15:20 by Veronika Melkozerova · POLITICO

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his best wishes to Donald Trump hours ahead of his inauguration in Washington as the 47^th president of the United States.

“We congratulate Donald Trump on entering the office … Moscow is open for dialogue with the United States that will be built on an equal and mutually respectful basis,” Putin said during Russia’s Security and Defense Council meeting Monday.

“Russia’s government will continue to fight for the interests of its people. That was the core goal of the special military operation,” Putin added about his ongoing war on neighboring Ukraine, which Trump has repeatedly said he’ll bring quickly to an end.