Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his hopes for better U.S.-Russia relations in his annual letter to the White House, sent by telegram, timed for New Year's Eve. The note to President Trump emphasizes Putin's desire for "pragmatic cooperation" between Moscow and Washington on the basis of "equality and mutual respect." A "constructive Russian-American dialogue is especially needed to strengthen strategic stability in the world," Putin said.
He also wrote to other world leaders, including France's Emmanuel Macron, Syria's Bashar al-Assad, and China's Xi Jinping, describing China and Russia as "two neighborly peoples" and calling for a trusting relationship between Beijing and Moscow.
This time last year, the Obama administration had just imposed new sanctions on Moscow in reaction to election meddling attempts. In response, Putin sent Trump a letter and for Obama issued only a short statement saying he would not retaliate against U.S. diplomats in Russia. "It is a pity that the Obama administration ends his term in such a way," Putin said, "but, nevertheless, I wish him and his family a Happy New Year."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
-
Florida aims to end all state vaccine requirementsSpeed Read Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to cut vaccine access and install anti-vaccine activists at the FDA and CDC
-
US kills 11 on 'drug-carrying boat' off VenezuelaSpeed Read Trump claimed those killed in the strike were 'positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists' shipping drugs to the US
-
Trump vows to send federal forces to Chicago, BaltimoreSpeed Read The announcement followed a California judge ruling that Trump's LA troop deployment was illegal
