Putin congratulates Biden as winner of 2020 presidential race

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday congratulated Joe Biden on winning the U.S. presidential election, making good on a commitment that he'd congratulate the winner when one was officially declared.

Putin's congratulations came one day after the Electoral College declared Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential race, amid ongoing challenges by President Trump and his legal to the results, which they argue were impacted by voter fraud. 

The Kremlin had said earlier that Putin would hold off on congratulating Biden until the winner was officially confirmed. “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.

Putin wished Biden “every success,” according to a Kremlin statement, and expressed confidence that “Russia and the U.S., which bear special responsibility for global security and stability can, despite the differences, really contribute to solving many problems and challenges that the world is currently facing,” according to the Associated Press.

The Russian president noted that “the Russian-American cooperation based on the principles of equality and mutual respect would meet the interests of the people in both countries and the entire international community.”

“For my part, I am ready for interaction and contact with you,” Putin was quoted by the Kremlin as saying, the wire service also reports.