Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his congratulations to Joe Biden just hours after the US President-Elect’s win was made official.
Shortly after the Electoral College confirmed that Biden had won the election with 306 votes, Putin, one of the last leaders yet to congratulate Biden, has offered his congratulations.
Previously, Kremlin announced they would wait for the official results before extending any congratulations despite major networks declaring Biden the winner of the 2020 election back in November.
According to the reports, Putin “wished the President-Elect every success” as he suggested he was ready for the beginning of the “interaction and contact.”
The Russian President also went on to express confidence that the two superpowers “which have a special responsibility for global security and stability, could, despite their differences, really help to solve the many problems and challenges facing the world.”
Putin also appeared to defend the President-Elect’s son, Hunter Biden, against criticism the businessman has been facing due to his business dealings in Ukraine and Russia.
The congratulations followed shortly after Biden addressed the nation following his Electoral College win.
Speaking to fellow Americans from Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday evening, Biden praised the democracy and took aim at Donald Trump for his continuous failure to respect the will of the people.
“Respecting the will of the people is at the heart of our democracy, even if we find those results hard to accept,” the President-Elect said.
“(…) The Trump campaign brought dozens and dozens of legal challenges, they were heard again and again. And each of the times they were heard they were found to be without merit.”
Biden also went on to applaud state officials and election workers for withstanding political pressure and threats and continuing to commit themselves to a “free and fair” election.
“It was truly remarkable because so many of these patriotic Americans were subjected to so much: enormous political pressure, verbal abuse, and even threats of physical violence. While we all wish that our fellow Americans in these positions will always show such courage and commitment to free and fair elections, I hope we never again see anyone subjected to the kind of threats and abuse we saw in this election. It is unconscionable,” he said.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the Texas lawsuit that aimed to overturn election results in four battleground states, Biden added: “The Court sent a clear signal to President Trump and his allies that they would be no part of this unprecedented assault on our democracy.”
As Biden went on to say, Trump’s concerns were heard on plenty occasions and were always “found to be without merit.”
“In America, when questions are raised about the legitimacy of any election, those questions are resolved through a legal process. And that is precisely what happened here. The Trump campaign brought dozens and dozens and dozens of legal challenges to test the results. They were heard. And they were found to be without merit,” the President-Elect said.
“Time and again, President Trump’s lawyers presented their arguments to state officials, state legislatures, state and federal courts, and ultimately to the United States Supreme Court, twice.point 299 |
They were heard by more than 80 judges across the country.point 48 | And in every case, no cause or evidence was found to reverse or question or dispute the results.point 127 | ”point 130 | 1
In his speech, Biden encouraged Americans that it is now “time to turn the page” and work together to “unite” and “heal.”
“In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed. The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a lot time ago. And we now know that nothing – not even a pandemic – or an abuse of power – can extinguish that flame,” he said.
Replaced!