Putin publicly congratulated Trump on his election as president.

"I want to take this opportunity to congratulate him on being elected as the President of the United States," Putin said. "As I have already mentioned, we will work with any head of state that the American people choose to trust. This will be true in practice as well."

Putin responded to a question from the host about American presidents during a press conference at the Valdai Forum (the broadcast was available online). He stated that he finds them all interesting individuals, noting that others cannot assume the role of the leader of "one of the world's leading countries."

Regarding Trump, Putin mentioned that he "was afraid to take an extra step or say an extra word during his first term." He was impressed by the politician's behavior during the assassination attempt against him. "A person reveals themselves in extraordinary circumstances. And he showed himself, in my opinion, in a very correct manner, courageously, like a man," Putin stated.

The President of Russia said he heard in Trump's words a desire to restore relations with Russia and "help bring an end to the Ukrainian crisis."

He answered affirmatively when asked if he would be willing to speak with the elected President of the U.S. if he called before the inauguration.

"I don't find it inappropriate to call him myself. I just don't do it because Western leaders started calling me almost every week at some point, and then suddenly stopped. If they don't want to, then that's fine. As you can see, we are alive and well."

Later, discussing the possibility of improving relations with the U.S., Putin stated that American presidents are forced to work with representatives of the "deep state" and should "speak directly to the people."

From his words, it was implied that by the deep state, he meant those appointed to the White House by sponsors of presidential campaigns. The deep state is a widely circulated conspiracy theory in the U.S. about the existence of a coordinated group that secretly influences government policy. This concept has also been mentioned by the elected President Trump in his speeches.

• While discussing calls from Western politicians, Putin was likely referring to the period just before and immediately after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Putin denied any preparation for the invasion until the very last moment.
• Previously, Putin had not commented on Trump's victory in the elections. His press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that he was unsure if Putin wanted to congratulate the elected president. "Let's not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country that is directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state," the press secretary added.
• The publication "Vyorstka" claims that Putin conveyed his congratulations to Trump on his election victory "through acquaintances." Peskov denies this, and the Trump campaign did not comment on it.