Vladimir Putin congratulates Donald Trump on his election victory

The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, expressed his congratulations to Donald Trump, who won the November 5 presidential election.

"I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him (Trump) on his election as President of the United States. I have already said that we will work with any head of state that the American people trust",

Putin said.

Vladimir Putin also spoke on the US presidents with whom he had worked, noting that all of them are interesting people. He called Trump a courageous person, assessing his behavior at the time of the assassination attempt.

Trump's pre-election statements deserve attention, Putin added. The Russian President also expressed his readiness for contacts with the newly elected American president.

"I don't think it's shameful for me to call him myself. I just don't do it because the leaders of Western countries, because the leaders of Western countries called me almost every week at some stage, until they stopped all of a sudden... If any of them wants to resume contacts, I've always said and I want to say again: We have nothing against it",

Putin said.

The Russian President spoke about Trump's victory and the prospects for contacts between Moscow and Washington at a meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club.