Why hasn't President Putin congratulated Joe Biden on his election victory?
(Baonghean.vn) - Congratulatory messages from leaders around the world have been directed towards President-elect Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris. However, not all have sent congratulatory messages to Biden. Among them, international attention has been focused on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
 President Putin at an event in Russia. Photo: The New York Times |
In 2016, the Kremlin sent congratulations to President Donald Trump within hours of the race declaring a winner. But Russian President Putin did not send a similar message to Joe Biden in 2020.
On November 9, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow would wait for the official election results to be announced before commenting.
Looking back on his four-year presidency, Donald Trump broke with long-standing American policy by consistently praising President Putin, raising suspicions about a personal connection and Russian interference in the 2016 US election.
However, a similar warm relationship cannot be expected under the new President Joe Biden, who has pledged to view foreign interference "as an act of hostility" toward the United States.
Observers believe that Biden will work diligently with partners and allies to push back against any moves by Russia. Therefore, President Putin will make even greater efforts to reshape Russia's foreign policy.
In late October, during an interview on CBS, Biden called Russia the "main threat" to U.S. national security. In response to that statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed his disapproval, saying such remarks only fueled "hatred toward the Russian Federation."
Joe Bisden will maintain a tough policy toward Russia, but he will still leave open the possibility of cooperation. He is particularly interested in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which failed to be extended under Donald Trump's administration.
