Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent Donald Trump a telegram of congratulation on winning the United States presidential election.
In a brief statement Wednesday, the Kremlin said Putin expressed “his hope to work together for removing Russian-American relations from their crisis state.”
Putin also said he has “confidence that building a constructive dialogue between Moscow and Washington that is based on principles of equality, mutual respect and a real accounting each other’s positions, in the interests of our peoples and the world community.”
Similarly, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says in a statement that he “congratulates the elected American president, Donald Trump, and hopes that peace will be achieved during his term.”
An Abbas aide, Saeb Erekat, said Wednesday he doesn’t expect US positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to change under Trump.
Erekat said the Republican and Democratic parties are both committed to a two-state solution of the conflict and “I think this will not change with the coming administration.”
The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, lands Israel captured in 1967. Gaps between Abbas and Israel’s hawkish leader on any border deal remain wide.
Trump has proposed moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, even though the US has not recognized Israel’s annexation of parts of the city.
