Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday publicly congratulated Donald Trump on his election victory, marking his first comment on the recent US election.

Speaking at an international forum in Sochi, Putin praised Trump's resilience and courage, particularly referencing Trump’s reaction during an attempted assassination in July. “His behaviour at the moment of an attempt on his life left an impression on me. He turned out to be a brave man. He manifested himself in the very correct way, bravely as a man,” he added.

Putin also highlighted Trump's statements “about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to help end the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, deserves attention at least”. The Kremlin had previously welcomed Trump’s confidence in negotiating an end to the Ukraine conflict “in 24 hours,” though it stressed it would wait to see concrete policy steps before making further judgments.

″I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America,” Putin said during a Q&A session at the conference. When asked about his expectations for a second Trump administration, he replied, “I don’t know what will happen now. I have no idea,” noting that Trump’s upcoming term would be his last due to term limits. 

“For him, this is still his last presidential term. What he will do is his matter."

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov mentioned the possibility of contact between Putin and Trump before the US inauguration, as Trump had previously “said he would call Putin before the inauguration". However, Peskov emphasized that Moscow continues to view the US as an "unfriendly" nation actively involved in the Ukraine conflict.

He downplayed concerns that Putin’s measured response could strain future relations, pointing out that Moscow’s ties with Washington are already at a historic low. He suggested that any improvement in relations would depend on the actions of the new U.S. leadership.

The Kremlin’s cautious approach underscores its ambivalence toward the US election. Despite Trump’s favourable comments about Putin, the Russian leader noted that during Trump’s first term there were “so many restrictions and sanctions against Russia like no other president has ever introduced before him".