Russian President Vladimir Putin was among the first world leaders to congratulate Donald Trump when he was elected the 45th president of the United States on Nov. 8.
In the congratulatory message, posted by the Kremlin, Putin espoused the hope that the two leaders could "lift Russian-U.S. relations out of the current crisis, resolve issues on the international agenda, [and] look for effective responses to global security challenges." The missive went on to highlight hopes for "a constructive dialogue based on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and genuine consideration for each other's positions."
Russian politicians were barely able to hide their glee at the news of Trump's victory over the Democratic nominee. The Russian parliament burst into applause when Trump's victory was announced. Sergey Zheleznyak, a member of Putin's party United Russia, said in a statement, "people supported [Trump's] intention to address the serious problems that have accumulated in America, and to move from confrontation to cooperation with Russia and the world." Vladimir Zhirinovsky, head of the Liberal Democratic Party, said merrily, "We will make up Mr. Trump a telegram of congratulations: Dear Donald, we congratulate you on a well-deserved victory. Grandmother Hillary can take some rest now."