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As America’s allies swiftly welcomed the election of Joe Biden as the next US president, and Germany hailed it as an “exciting new chapter” in transatlantic ties, there was silence from Russia.
The Kremlin’s coldness to the 77-year-old president-elect should come as no surprise.
Biden, who was declared the winner of the presidential race on November 7, is expected to take a tougher stance toward the Kremlin on his human rights and foreign policy record compared to President Donald Trump.
The president-elect has repeatedly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for “evil actions,” including invasion by his neighbors and meddling in foreign elections, and recently called the country an “opponent.”
Biden claimed in a July 2014 interview with the New Yorker magazine that he got tough on Putin during a meeting three years earlier when he oversaw the US effort to help Ukraine fight Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. .
“I don’t think you have a soul,” Biden said he told Putin.
Russia was eventually expelled from the Group of Eight (G8) for its hostilities towards Ukraine, which also included the annexation of Crimea. Trump, on the other hand, raised the possibility of re-inviting Putin to the group of leading industrial nations and rarely criticized the Kremlin.
There is another reason the Kremlin would be slow to welcome a Biden presidency.
Biden has said he wants to strengthen the transatlantic relationship, including the revitalization of NATO, the US-led military alliance focused on containing Russian aggression.
Trump’s opponents say the president damaged relations, especially with Germany and France, with his criticism of NATO and the European Union.
Some former Trump White House officials said they even feared the president would withdraw the United States from NATO if he won a second term, handing over a gift to the Kremlin.
European leaders breathed a sigh of relief when the election result was announced.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she “looked forward to future cooperation with President Biden. Our transatlantic friendship is irreplaceable if we are to overcome the great challenges of our time.”
Merkel, who is Germany’s first female leader, noted that Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris would be her country’s first female vice president.
Peter Beyer, the German government’s transatlantic coordinator, told Reuters that “we will have an American president who is interested in Europe and does not want to confront us,” a clear reference to Trump’s divisive policies toward the continent.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg congratulated Biden and tweeted: “I know Joe Biden as a strong supporter of our Alliance and I look forward to working closely with him. A strong #NATO is good for both North America and Europe. “
EU leaders Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen praised Biden’s election and called for stronger transatlantic ties.
“We take note of the latest developments in the electoral process,” said Michel, President of the European Council.
“On this basis, the EU congratulates President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris for reaching enough electoral votes,” it added its statement.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: “Americans have elected their president. Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris! We have a lot to do to overcome today’s challenges. Let’s work together!”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, considered by many to be a close ally and supporter of Trump, congratulated Biden and Harris on their “historic victory.”
“The United States is our most important ally and I look forward to working closely on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security,” Johnson said.
Tense relations with Ukraine
Biden also received congratulations from the former and current leader of Ukraine, a country he visited six times during his tenure as vice president from 2009 to 2017, primarily to demonstrate strong US support for the country amid hostilities with Russia.
The United States has provided Ukraine with more than $ 1.5 billion in military aid and billions of dollars in financial aid.
President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy tweeted that his country “is optimistic about the future of the strategic alliance with the United States.”
Ukraine and the United States “have always collaborated on security, trade, investment, democracy, the fight against corruption. Our friendship grows stronger! “
US relations with Ukraine suffered under Trump, who blamed the country for hurting his 2016 election bid, according to his former officials.
Relations with Kiev worsened further when Trump in 2019 asked the newly elected Zelenskiy to investigate Biden and the Democratic National Committee.
When Trump’s actions were revealed, he was indicted by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. The Senate finally found Trump innocent.
However, the impeachment trial indefinitely postponed a much-desired visit to the White House by Zelenskiy and prompted the departure of the special envoy to Ukraine.
Zelenskiy’s predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, also welcomed Biden’s victory.
“Ukraine is fortunate to have a president of the United States with such deep and personal knowledge of our country.” wrote on Twitter.
“With strong bipartisan US support for Ukraine to remain strong, we look forward to a committed transatlantic leadership from the United States to secure the Free World.”
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