‘Nothing has changed’: Kremlin, Putin won’t recognize President-elect Biden despite Trump announcement



[ad_1]

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not recognized President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, despite Mr. Trump’s orders to begin the transition of his administration.

Earlier this week, the Russian president said he was waiting “for the end of the domestic political impasse” before recognizing the president-elect.

On Tuesday, the Kremlin said “nothing has changed” despite Mr. Trump ordering the federal agency overseeing the transition to officially begin Monday, according to Russian media.

In a speech in an interview broadcast on state television on November 22, the Russian president said that there is “no hidden motive, whether we love someone, or that we do not love someone. not someone ”by refusing his congratulations to the elected president.

“We are just waiting for the end of the domestic political stalemate,” he said, adding that his congratulations would not change the tense relationship between the two governments.

“You can’t ruin a spoiled relationship. It’s already spoiled, ”he said.

The US president’s order to start the transition process is “not enough,” Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, TASS reported.

“Reviews and recounts in some states are still continuing, without which election results cannot be officially announced,” he said.

His remarks follow similar statements in the wake of Mr Trump’s defeat and refusal to concede, as his legal team mounted a series of unsuccessful lawsuits to overturn the results in several states, relying on claims. baseless allegations of electoral fraud and conspiracy theories without significant evidence in court. .

The General Service Administration, the federal agency overseeing the presidential transition, recognized Biden as president-elect on Monday, marking the end of the president’s electoral challenges.

Mr Trump announced on Twitter that he had advised GSA chief Emily Murphy to move forward with transition protocols “in the best interest” of the United States.

On November 9, following Mr. Biden’s projected Electoral College victory after the release of Pennsylvania results that sealed his victory, Mr. Peskov said Russia would not congratulate a winner until the legal results were published – although Mr. Putin almost immediately congratulated Mr. Trump in the 2016 election before the results were certified.

“The outgoing president has announced some legal procedures, so this situation is different, and we consider it correct to wait for an official announcement,” Peskov said earlier this month.

“There was no announcement of a court challenge” in the 2016 election, he added.

In 2016, Mr. Putin was among the first world leaders to congratulate Trump, then a candidate. The Russian president issued a statement hours after Hillary Clinton’s concession.

After the certification of votes by state election officials, voters in each state will meet at the Electoral College on December 14 to officially vote.

The elected president will be inaugurated on January 20.

[ad_2]

Source link