Why hasn't President Putin congratulated Joe Biden on his election?
(Baonghean.vn) - Congratulations from leaders around the world have been sent to President-elect Joe Biden and his "vice president" - Kamala Harris. However, not all of them have congratulated Mr. Biden's victory. Among them, international public opinion has paid attention to 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 being called. But Russian President Putin has not had a similar message for Joe Biden in 2020.
On November 9, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would wait for the official election results to be announced before commenting.
Looking back on his four-year presidential term, Donald Trump has broken with long-standing US policy by constantly praising President Putin, raising suspicions about his personal ties and Russia's interference in the 2016 US election.
However, the same cozy relationship cannot be expected under new President Joe Biden, who has pledged to view foreign interference "as an act of hostility" to the US.
Observers say that Mr. Biden will work hard with partners and allies to push back against any moves by Russia. Therefore, President Putin will make more efforts to reshape Russia's foreign policy.
In late October, in an interview on CBS, Mr. Biden called Russia the “main threat” to US national security. In response to that statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed disagreement, saying that such words only increased “hatred of the Russian Federation.”
While maintaining a tough policy toward Russia, Joe Bisden still leaves open the possibility of cooperation. He is particularly interested in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which failed to reach an agreement to extend under Donald Trump.
