Putin congratulates Biden after election confirmation

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message of congratulations to US President-elect Joe Biden following the confirmation of his win by the Electoral College.

The Russian president stood out in his absence among world leaders who had congratulated Biden in the days after the election winner was first declared in November.

Following the official confirmation of the Electoral College votes hours earlier, Putin wished the US president-elect every success and said that "for my part, I am ready for collaboration and contacts with you," according to a statement from the Kremlin on Tuesday.

Moscow expects tougher stance from Biden

According to Kremlin officials, Putin had chosen to hold off on sending his congratulations until the official results were confirmed, despite having congratulated Donald Trump in 2016 as soon as the projected result was clear.

Biden could take a harder line against the Russian government than Trump, including potential sanctions. The Democrat had criticized Trump for having "embraced so many autocrats around the world, starting with Putin.

Among the contentious issues that Biden will have to deal with is a renewal of the New Start agreement on nuclear weapons which is ending in February.

The US has also already been highly critical of Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would directly supply Germany with Russian gas. Construction recently restarted after a temporary halt, but a continuation in the face of US opposition may result in further sanctions against the Kremlin.

Putin changes tune

In his message on Tuesday, Putin said the two countries "bear special responsibility for global security and stability."

He went on to say that despite their differences, Moscow and Washington could "really contribute to solving many problems and challenges that the world is currently facing."

Russian officials had earlier described the US election process as archaic and not representative of the will of the people.

For his part, outgoing President Donald Trump has not formally conceded defeat even as his legal challenges continue to fall flat.

ab/msh (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)