JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin finally congratulated Joe Biden on his victory in the presidential election (Pilpres) of the United States (US). The congratulations for Biden are not the same as when Putin congratulated Donald Trump in the 2016 US Election. How about the future relations between the two countries?
Putin congratulated him after Biden won the state electoral college vote count. The results of this count formally determine the US presidency.
Quoting Reuters, Wednesday, December 16, the Kremlin once said it would wait for the official results of the US election to congratulate Biden. This was conveyed by the Kremlin when many state leaders had already congratulated Biden even though the count was not over.
"For me, I am ready for interaction and contact with you (Joe Biden)," Putin said, according to a statement issued by the Kremlin.
"Putin wishes the elected president a success and expresses confidence that Russia and the US, which have a special responsibility for global security and stability, can, despite their differences, actually help solve the many problems and challenges facing the world."
Oversight for RussiaThe spotlight on the relationship between Russia and the upcoming US administration comes amid the news that has increasingly weighed on relations between the two countries. Putin's congratulations also came after US officials responded to a massive data breach attributed to Russian hackers.
Putin's attitude towards Biden is also in the spotlight because it is seen as a stark contrast to his stance in the 2016 US elections. At that time Putin immediately congratulated Trump a few hours after the vote.
It is believed that the Biden government will have a very different attitude towards Russia. Trump praised Putin during his presidency, fueling suspicion of a possible link to his campaign with Russian interference in the 2020 US elections.
The same good relations cannot be expected from Biden. Politically, Biden has promised to treat foreign interference "as an act of hostility."
"Biden will work hard with partners and allies to push back whatever Russia plans, whether it be trying to kill Russian citizens abroad, or killing their own opposition leaders as alleged attempts with (Alexey) Navalny in Siberia, or activity in Syria, Crimea, and others, "said Karin von Hippel, director general of the Royal United Services Institute.
Russia has had freedom for several years, including at the end of President Barack Obama's term, according to von Hippel, who is also a former senior non-political adviser to the State Department under the Obama administration. In late October, Biden called Russia a "major threat" to US national security.
This was conveyed by Biden in an interview with 60 Minutes at CBS. Russian government spokesman Peskov responded by saying such rhetoric reinforces "resentment against the Russian Federation."
In the run-up to the US election, the two countries failed to reach an agreement to extend the major arms reduction agreement signed by President Obama and Dmitry Medvedev in 2010. Putin previously indicated that he sees the strategic agreement as one of the potential points of cooperation with Biden.
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