SOCHI, November 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is ready to engage in discussions with US President-elect Donald Trump.
Moderator Fyodor Lukyanov asked Putin at the plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club’s annual meeting if he was ready for discussions with Trump. "We are ready," Putin responded.
Earlier, when talking about a potential call from Trump, he noted that he would not consider it a disgrace to call Trump himself.
"I just don’t do that because at some point, Western leaders suddenly stopped calling me, while they had called me almost every week. Well, it’s their own choice," Putin went on to say. "As you see, we are alive and well, we are developing and moving forward. If some of them wish to resume contact - I have always said it and I would like to repeat it once again - we have no objections to that, they are welcome; let’s resume contact and engage in discussions," Putin added.
He also stressed that the event’s venue was full of experts from all over the world. "But if it’s a no, we will engage in discussions with you," Putin said, addressing the audience.
The United States held its presidential election on November 5. The official results haven’t been announced yet but according to Fox News, Trump has received about 300 electoral votes, while a candidate needs 270 votes to win. Trump has already declared himself the 47th US president. Democratic candidate Kamala Harris conceded defeat in the presidential race.