Putin congratulates Trump through acquaintances – Russian media

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has unofficially congratulated Donald Trump on his presidential election victory, although this has not been publicly announced.

Source: European Pravda, citing Verstka, Russian media outlet

Details: A high-ranking Russian parliamentary source said that Russian authorities and elites, including Putin, congratulated Trump informally "through acquaintances".

Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov commented on the matter, stating he did not know whether Putin would congratulate Trump, given that Trump leads a "hostile country".

The source said that Trump has also received greetings from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Herman Gref, CEO of Sberbank, the largest Russian bank, and from the speakers of the parliamentary chambers as well.

This informal congratulatory gesture was confirmed by another source close to the Kremlin, who mentioned that the greetings were conveyed through Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

The source noted that key Russian officials "have relationships" with the new president, which "the Kremlin wants to maintain", as Moscow has certain "hopes" for Trump.

The Russian elite holds hope that, following Trump’s victory in the US, relations between Washington and Moscow may improve and US support for Ukraine might diminish. They believe this could lead to a more favourable situation for Russian forces on the front line. However, it remains unclear what specific actions the Kremlin expects from Trump, Verstka summarises.

Background: 

• CNN previously reported that Donald Trump, who values flattery and loyalty, closely monitors which world leaders attempt to reach out to him.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Trump on his victory, recalling their "great meeting" in September, where they discussed in detail the Ukraine-US strategic partnership.

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