In yet another sign of constant enmity between Russia and the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he is still not ready to recognise Joe Biden as the next US President. He, however, declared that he is ready to work with any US leader.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said that he is still not ready to recognise Joe Biden as the winner of the United States presidential election.
"We will work with anyone who has the confidence of the American people," Putin said on Russian state TV. "But that confidence can only be given to a candidate whose victory has been recognised by the opposing party, or after the results are confirmed in a legitimate, legal way."
The Russian President said that the decision to not congratulate Biden is 'a formality' with no ulterior motives. He also said that he believes relations between the US and Russia have been 'ruined'. When Trump won in 2016, Putin was prompt in offering congratulations, but Trump's challenger in that election, Hillary Clinton, also conceded the day after the vote.
Just days after the election was called in Biden's favour, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that this election is different.
Apart from the Russian President, leaders of China, Brazil and Turkey also are holdouts in offering congratulations to the new President. Meanwhile, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also said he would wait to comment until the legal challenges over the vote were set.
(With inputs from IANS)
