Putin congratulates Biden on election win

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on his Electoral College victory on Tuesday after refusing to acknowledge his win in the weeks after the election.

“For my part, I am ready for interaction and contacts with you,” Putin said in a statement from the Kremlin.

Putin “wished the President-elect every success and expressed confidence that Russia and the United States, which bear special responsibility for global security and stability, can, despite their differences, effectively contribute to solving many problems and meeting challenges that the world is facing today,” according to the Kremlin.

Joseph R. Biden @JoeBiden has been declared the winner of the US presidential election. Congratulations from Vladimir Putin: https://t.co/l3CdwE51xt

— President of Russia (@KremlinRussia_E) December 15, 2020

The Electoral College officially voted to confirm Biden as president on Monday after weeks of fruitless legal challenges from President Trump’s campaign and allies, including two state lawsuits the Supreme Court declined to hear.

After Biden’s victory was first projected in November, Putin refused to acknowledge the win, suggesting he would wait until the legal challenges had played out.

“We are just waiting for the end of the internal political confrontation,” he said at the time.

Trump has refused to concede the election, despite the court losses and the final electoral vote on Monday. After state electors cast their votes, several Republican senators who had initially resisted acknowledging the result conceded Biden is president-elect, including Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.).

“In my view that’s how, in this country, we decide presidential elections. That’s our Constitution, and I believe in following the Constitution,” Thune told reporters.

“We’ve now gone through the constitutional process, and the electors have voted, so there’s a president-elect,” added Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).