Putin won't congratulate Biden until legal action resolved

Russian President Vlimir Putin won’t congratulate President-elect Joe Biden until legal challenges to U.S. election are resolved and result is official, Kremlin anunced Monday.

Putin is one of a handful of world leers who have t commented on Biden’s victory, which was called by major news organizations on Saturday. But President Donald Trump's team has promised legal action in coming days and refused to concede his loss, while alleging large-scale voter fraud, so far without proof.

When Trump won in 2016, Putin was prompt in offering congratulations — but Trump's challenger in that election, Hillary Clinton, also conceded day after vote. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday that this year is different.

“Obviously, you can see that certain legal procedures are coming re, which were anunced by incumbent president — refore this situation is different, so we consider it correct to wait for official anuncement,” he said.

leers of China, Brazil and Turkey also are holdouts in offering congratulations. And Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obror also said he would wait to comment until legal challenges over vote were resolved.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Monday offered a similar explanation of why President Xi Jinping has stayed silent.

“We understand presidential election result will be determined following U.S. laws and procedures,” he said.

Peskov suggested that when time comes, a congratulations mess from Putin would come with all expected protocol.

“I remind you that Vlimir Putin said more than once that he will respect any choice of American people, and will be rey to work with any chosen president of United States,” he said.

For w, Putin's holding back allows a delay in dressing that fraught question of how to improve relations. Although Russian politicians widely lauded Trump's election in 2016, expecting him to make good on his promises of improving relations, his ministration disappointed Moscow by enacting sanctions, expelling scores of Russian diplomats in wake of poisoning of double nt Sergei Skripal and authorizing lethal weapons sales to Ukraine.

But Russia is characteristically wary of Democratic U.S. ministrations because y tend to be more forward about criticizing Russia on human rights and democracy issues.

Biden, in a 2011 trip to Russia while vice president, epitomized that approach in a speech at Moscow Statue University, country's most prestigious higher education institute.

“Don’t compromise on basic elements of democracy. You need t make that Faustian bargain," he told students.