Vladimir Putin admitted that he is not yet ready to recognize Joe Biden as the 2020 Presidential election’s victor because President Trump has not yet acknowledged Biden’s victory.
Two weeks ago, Biden was recognized as the President-elect in the election against Trump. However, despite such an announcement, President Trump and his supporters refused to concede due to the strong allegation of voter fraud.
In relation to this, Trump has ordered his team to contest the votes cast in key states that cost him reelection.
Last Sunday, Putin, who has yet to congratulate Joe Biden in his victory, stated on Russian TV, “We will work with anyone who has the confidence of the American people.”
#Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said that he is still not ready to recognise Joe Biden as the winner of the #UnitedStates presidential election, but is ready to work with any other US leader. pic.twitter.com/XnUvFCF4mz
— IANS Tweets (@ians_india) November 22, 2020
He continued by saying, “But that confidence can only be given to a candidate whose victory has been recognized by the opposing party, or after the results are confirmed in a legitimate, legal way.”
In addition to this, Putin stated that his decision not to congratulate Joe Biden has no ulterior motives and is a “formality.” He also believed that the relations between the United States and Russia have been “ruined.” But he will work with whoever will sit as the next US President.
When President Trump won in the 2016 Presidential election, Putin was prompt in sending a congratulatory message to him. Compared to the 2020 Election, Putin has yet to offer Biden congratulations even after weeks of being declared as the winner.
Days after the election was called in Biden’s favor, Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, told reporters that this election is “different” and that it is best to wait for the “official announcement.”
Peskov stated, “Obviously, you can see that certain legal procedures are coming there, which were announced by the incumbent president — therefore this situation is different, so we consider it correct to wait for the official announcement.”
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov:
“Obviously, you can see that certain legal procedures are coming there, which were announced by the incumbent president — therefore this situation is different, so we consider it correct to wait for the official announcement,” he said. JIM HEINTZ pic.twitter.com/kp1jzGCfXd— Bjørn Tore Schulstad (@BjSchulstad) November 9, 2020
In addition to this, Peskov also suggested that a congratulatory message from the Russian leader will come when the time comes, and it will arrive with all the expected protocol.
He further said, “I remind you that Vladimir Putin said more than once that he will respect any choice of American people, and will be ready to work with any chosen president of the United States.”
Russian politicians widely favored Trump’s election in 2016, as they expected him to improve ties in his administration and authorize weapon sales to Ukraine.
On the other hand, Russia is generally wary of a Democratic US administration as they tend to be bolder about criticizing Russia on democracy issues and human rights.
This approach was epitomized in a speech made by Joe Biden in his 2011 trip to Russia as Vice President. Biden made a speech at Moscow State University, the country’s most prestigious higher education institution.
In the speech, Biden told the students, “Don’t compromise on the basic elements of democracy. You need not make that Faustian bargain.”
Biden also made a bad mark with Russia when he stood as the Obama administration’s point-man in Ukraine after the revolution that drove the country’s Kremlin-friendly president from power in 2014. Protests, which, according to Russia, were instigated by the United States.
Additionally, Russian Officials also frequently blamed the difficulties of the Moscow-Washington relation on the “Russophobia” carried over from the Obama Administration. And as some politicians expect, this alleged “Russophobia” could rise under the Biden administration.
Konstantin Kosachev, the Chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the upper house of parliament, was quoted saying, “With the victory of a Democrat, one can expect revenge from all nonconservative forces around the world. This means more Russophobia in Europe, more deaths in (eastern Ukraine) and in many other hot spots of the world, as well as more politically motivated sanctions if we talk about the direct and simplest consequences.”
Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor of Russia In Global Affairs journal, stated, “The Biden administration may return to a much more assertive policy in the post-Soviet space, which is always extremely unnerving for Moscow.”
