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Moscow Applauds Trump But With Cautious Optimism | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Russia’s ruling elite received the news of the US Republican candidate Donald Trump’s victory with happiness and satisfaction, and expressed cautious optimism about the future of relations between Russia and the United States once Trump has been inaugurated and begins his presidential duties. Perhaps the most emotional and enthusiastic expressions of happiness at Trump’s victory could be seen in the hall of the State Duma where representatives received the news about his victory with warm applause.

The leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky who many see as “Russia’s Trump” and his party invited all members of parliament and journalists to drinks and desserts to celebrate Trump becoming president.

According to the presidential press office, the Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Trump a telegram to congratulate him. In the telegram, Putin expressed his hopes for cooperation “in ending a crisis in Russian-American relations”, solving pressing international issues and searching for effective responses to the challenges facing global security. The Russian President also expressed confidence that “building a constructive dialogue between Moscow and Washington, based on principles of equality, mutual respect and each other’s positions, meets the interests of the peoples of our countries and of the entire international community.”

Commenting on the promises that Trump made during his campaign regarding the improvement of relations with Moscow, Putin described implementing these promises and the normalisation of relations between the two countries as a “difficult path in the light of the degradation in which, unfortunately, the relationship between Russia and the US are at the moment”. However, he also said that Moscow wants to re-establish full relations with the United States and is prepared to surmount the difficulties of the “path”.