On Tuesday, December 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message to Joe Biden congratulating him on his victory in the 2020 U.S. presidential elections, the Kremlin reported.
In his message, 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 U.S. presidential election took place on November 3. Three days later, the largest media outlets in the United States, which were tracking their own counts of the vote, announced Joe Biden’s victory. His rival, incumbent President Donal Trump, did not recognize the election results and began challenging them in courts.
Many world leaders congratulated Biden on his victory in the elections right away, however the Kremlin refrained from doing so until the official results were released.
On December 15, the Electoral College officially confirmed Biden’s victory: he gained 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232. These votes will be tallied at a joint meeting of the Senate and the House of Representatives on January 6, 2021. The president-elect’s inauguration will take place on January 20.