Russian President Vladimir Putin's long delay in offering congratulatory note to US President-elect Joe Biden garnered wide public scanner on Tuesday as came nearly six weeks after Biden's win and a day after the Electoral College confirmed him as the next president of the United States, ratifying his November victory in an authoritative state-by-state repudiation of outgoing President Donald Trump's refusal to concede.
The Kremlin had said earlier that the Russian President would hold off on congratulating Biden until the winner was officially confirmed since Trump had not conceded.
"We are just waiting for the end of the internal political confrontation," Putin said last month, referring to numerous Republican challenges to the vote count. But was he seriously waiting for the official result or simply expecting the Electoral College to change the decision and announce his 'good friend' Trump to be the winner for a second term, is a pertinent question.
Possibility of a frosty relationship
According to The New York Times, Putin's delay has been widely viewed as 'a prelude to a frosty relationship' between the Kremlin and Biden's White House.
On Tuesday, after the Electoral College confirmed Biden's victory, the Kremlin ended its wait and announced that Putin had sent the former vice president a "congratulatory telegram" marking his "victory in the United States presidential election."
"Vladimir Putin wished the president-elect every success and expressed confidence that Russia and the United States, which bear special responsibility for global security and stability, can, despite their differences, effectively contribute to solving many problems and meeting challenges that the world is facing today," the Kremlin's said in a statement cited by The Times.
Putin had been one of the last world leaders, other than Polish President Andrzej Duda, to congratulate Biden on his election victory. China congratulated Biden on November 13, 10 days after Election Day, followed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 18, 15 days after the big day.
The inevitable friendship
Almost a year earlier, on December 19, 2019, Putin had called Trump's impeachment to be 'bogus' and used words like "made-up charges" and "witch hunt"— which seemed as if Kremlin is attempting to angle Trump in its side.
"First they accuse Trump of collusion with Russia, then it turns out there was no collusion so this cannot be used as a basis for impeachment," Putin had told the press.
"Now, they've come up with the idea he put pressure on Ukraine," he had said further, adding that "This is nothing but a continuation of an internal political struggle, with the party that lost the election, the Democratic party, trying to reach its goal by different means."
While Trump is officially going to vacate the presidential office on January 20, Putin has started gearing up to meet the forthcoming loses in the US- Russia bilateral ties. Trump was the one saving Kremlin from the charges of its interference in 2016 presidential elections.
Last December, the Daily Beast had also reported that the Trump administration was pushing back against a package of Russia sanctions, which required the State Department as well as the intelligence community to make regular reports to the Congress "on whether or not" the Kremlin was meddled in the US elections, while the probe was underway.
It can be clearly derived from the above examples that there can be no other administration which would guarantee this type of support for Russia anymore.
Tougher line on Russia
Following the unexpected announcement on Kremlin's part, Putin now needs to work with Biden on various issues which remain unresolved under Trump's presidency. The first being a nuclear arms control treaty, on limiting American and Russian nuclear warhead numbers, that expires on February 5. Both Biden and Putin have wished to extend the treaty, but they won't be able to make it official until Biden take over the reins on January 20.
"For my part, I am ready for interaction and contacts with you," Putin was quoted by The Times as saying.
Biden, however, has promised to take a tougher stance on Russia unlike the Trump administration.
In addition, Biden also needs to decide how to respond on the evidence of the posioning of Aleksei A. Navalny, the country's most prominent opposition leader, with a military-grade nerve agent. As per media reports, the Russian government has its hand behind the incident which took place in August this year.
"The mode of attack leaves no doubt as to where the responsibility lies — the Russian state," Biden said of the Navalny poisoning in September, criticizing Trump for inaction.
"As president, I will do what Donald Trump refuses to do: work with our allies and partners to hold the Putin regime accountable for its crimes," he was quoted as saying further by The Times.
